Greece registers first hydrogen passenger vehicles
Greece has registered its first hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles, marking a milestone in the country’s efforts to develop a hydrogen mobility ecosystem as part of the European TRIERES Hydrogen Valley project led by Motor Oil Group.
The first two Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have been delivered to the Municipality of Loutraki–Perachora–Agioi Theodoroi and motorway operator Olympia Odos. Both organisations are partners in the TRIERES project, which provided co-financing for the vehicles.
The handover took place at AVIN’s hydrogen refuelling station in Agioi Theodoroi, where the vehicles were also refuelled for the first time. The station forms part of the infrastructure being developed to support hydrogen-powered transport in Greece.
Motor Oil said the deployment of the vehicles, together with the operation of the hydrogen refuelling station and Coral Gas’ renewable hydrogen transport capability, establishes Greece’s first pilot hydrogen mobility ecosystem. The system combines hydrogen production, transport, refuelling and vehicle deployment to demonstrate the viability of zero-emission road transport.
The Municipality of Loutraki–Perachora–Agioi Theodoroi becomes the first local authority in Greece to add a hydrogen-powered vehicle to its fleet, while Olympia Odos is the country’s first motorway operator to introduce hydrogen fuel cell technology into its daily operations.
The initiative forms part of TRIERES, a flagship project funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The project brings together 26 organisations from five countries to develop an integrated renewable hydrogen value chain spanning production, storage, distribution, refuelling infrastructure and end-use applications.
As project coordinator, Motor Oil is overseeing the development of hydrogen infrastructure and pilot projects across the transport, industrial and energy sectors, with the aim of accelerating hydrogen deployment in Greece and across Southeast Europe.
Konstantinos Chatzifotis, European Affairs Manager at Motor Oil, said the introduction of the country’s first hydrogen passenger vehicles demonstrated that Greece’s hydrogen economy was moving from planning to practical implementation. He added that the achievement reflected the company’s strategy of developing infrastructure alongside real-world applications through collaboration between public and private sector partners.
The deployment comes as European countries continue investing in hydrogen transport infrastructure to support the decarbonisation of road transport. While battery-electric vehicles dominate the passenger car market, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are being developed for applications where fast refuelling and longer driving ranges are considered advantageous, supported by the gradual expansion of hydrogen production and refuelling networks across the continent.
