H2 Mobility and rnv launch hydrogen refueling station in Mannheim

As of now, the new hydrogen filling station at the rnv depot on Schlachthofstraße is open to the public and new rnv buses. The 13 articulated buses of the type H2-eCitaro, which Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv) acquired in Mannheim as part of the H2Rhein-Neckar project, will refuel the necessary hydrogen here. At a combined dispenser, trucks can refuel at 350 bar, as well as refuse collectors, including those of the Mannheim city service, as well as small utility vehicles and hydrogen cars at 700 bar.

“The expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg is necessary to make particularly heavy vehicles with alternative, non-fossil propulsion usable for daily practice. The state-funded H2Rhein-Neckar project shows how the transition can be addressed at the municipal level in public transport. This directly saves emissions here,” explains Martin Eggstein, Ministerial director and head of the energy management department at the Ministry for the Environment in Baden-Württemberg.

The new hydrogen filling station at the Mannheim rnv depot is another important component of the regional hydrogen infrastructure. Together with the H2 buses, the H2 refuse collection vehicles of the city of Mannheim, private cars can also refuel here in the public section. The filling station thus represents another step towards climate neutrality, says Christian Specht, Mayor of Mannheim and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv). It is important that we take a regionally networked approach to topics such as energy transition, decarbonization, and building a climate-neutral and efficient economy. The cooperation projects on the level of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region like H2Rhein-Neckar and H2Rivers are therefore central to make Mannheim and the region future-proof and independent of fossil fuels.

H2 Mobility responsible for operations

H2 MOBILITY is responsible for the construction and operation of the filling station. The company already opened a hydrogen station in Heidelberg at the new depot for alternative drives in April. Together with the rnv, another station is being built in Ludwigshafen by next year. The new rnv articulated bus fleet with a total of 48 buses of the type H2-eCitaro will in the future refuel hydrogen at the AFIR-compliant locations in Heidelberg, Mannheim, and Ludwigshafen.

“We are pleased to now be able to deploy articulated buses with hydrogen fuel cells in our Mannheim transport area,” explains Martin in der Beek, Technical Managing Director of rnv. “The first experiences we have gathered in the last months in Heidelberg confirm that these vehicles are an ideal addition to our regular electric buses and particularly play to their advantages on demanding longer routes. As we want to convert our entire bus fleet to locally emission-free drives by 2032, we need this technology and vehicle mix.”

Municipal companies and surrounding logistics firms also benefit from the new locations: All gas stations are publicly accessible and can refuel hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles at a pressure level of 350 and 700 bar.

"In the Rhine-Neckar region, with each new gas station opening, the hydrogen supply security and the attractiveness of hydrogen in mobility increase. In the region, hydrogen is already being used in public transport and by municipal companies. Buses and waste collection vehicles operate regularly and demonstrate that hydrogen has become an integral part of everyday operations. In the Rhine-Neckar region, it is particularly attractive to enter into H2 mobility. The existing public H2 infrastructure can be easily used," explains Martin Jüngel, Managing Director and CFO of H2 MOBILITY.