Metacon and Uppvidinge Vätgas to open wind-powered hydrogen refueling station for heavy vehicles and passenger cars

Sweden’s first public hydrogen refueling station for both heavy vehicles and passenger cars with hydrogen produced with electricity from its own wind turbine will be inaugurated in Älghult in Småland.

Uppvidinge Vätgas AB has ordered the construction of a hydrogen refueling station (HRS) from Metacon AB supported by a grant from Klimatklivet. The station is the first in Sweden to have its hydrogen produced with electricity from a nearby wind turbine and which has integrated hydrogen production for refueling with both 350 and 700 bar pressure (for heavy vehicles and passenger cars, respectively). At the wind turbine powered by Uppvidinge Hydrogen, an electrolyser with auxiliary equipment has been installed for the production of green hydrogen.

The plant has a capacity of 200 kilograms of pure hydrogen per day. In parallel with the construction of the electrolysis plant, a filling station for public refueling of hydrogen has been built. The entire facility has been designed for future expansion in line with expected needs for increased capacity.

Metacon and Uppvidinge Vätgas show that in practice it is now possible to switch the Swedish fuel supply from imported fossil vehicle fuel to locally produced green hydrogen without burdening the Swedish electricity system. When operating hydrogen vehicles, the resulting emission is pure water vapor and the benefits for customers are great. Hydrogen offers the same refueling principle as petrol and diesel and refueling is just as fast.

At the same time, hydrogen vehicles can be driven as far on a refueling as with petrol or diesel and, just as with these traditional fuels, the range is not affected by a cold winter climate. With hydrogen, all behaviors remain the same and no negative changes are experienced by vehicle owners. All in all, these are characteristics that mean that hydrogen has the potential to drive the transition to a fossil-free and climate-neutral transport sector in an efficient way. Consequently, the entire investment in the plant is an important step in the fight to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and stabilize the earth’s climate.