First hydrogen filling station comes to Memmingen

Created: 01/19/2022, 12:30 p.m

State MP Alexander Hold and Lord Mayor Manfred Schilder find out about the start of construction of the first hydrogen filling station by Leger (Kempten) in the Allgäu in the Memmingen industrial park.

© K. Dorsch

Memmingen/Allgäu – In the next two years, a hydrogen filling station will be built not far from the Memmingen motorway junction. Recently, Alexander Hold, member of the state parliament for the Free Voters for Kempten, the Oberallgäu and the city of Memmingen, together with the Mayor of Memmingen, Manfred Schilder, discussed the current status of planning and the start of construction. 

At the joint meeting in the northern industrial area, those responsible from Linde GmbH from Pullach, which is responsible for the system technology, and Urs Breitmeier from H2 Energy Europe from Zurich, who is in charge of hydrogen technologies in Europe, were also present.

In the next two years, an efficient hydrogen filling station infrastructure will be built at the strategically best location not far from the Memmingen motorway junction, which will primarily appeal to heavy goods traffic.

Bavarian hydrogen strategy

“Talking is enough.

Now it's time to act.

A lot still has to happen in order to achieve our climate targets.

I am therefore particularly pleased that I was able to personally initiate the construction of the first hydrogen filling station in the Allgäu and that this can now be realized with the powerful funding as part of the Bavarian hydrogen strategy from Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger," says Alexander Hold.

In the heavy-duty sector in particular, the conversion to zero-emission drives is more urgent than ever.

For logistics companies that are thinking about switching to alternative drives, the short refueling time of around 20 minutes, the unrestricted payload and the long range of 500 kilometers per tank filling are the decisive advantages compared to battery-powered e-vehicles.

EU Clean Vehicle Directive

"In the next few years we will need a comprehensive network of hydrogen filling stations, if only because clients are increasingly demanding climate-neutral transport from logistics companies," explains Hold, explaining the current situation.

In addition, public clients have been forced to switch to emission-free buses and trucks since this year, but increasingly from 2025, in order to comply with the EU's "clean vehicle directive".

The development dynamics for hydrogen in transport are great, so experts expect rapid progress in technology development and innovations.

Subsidy notice for hydrogen filling station

“The faster green hydrogen prevails over diesel in traffic, the better.

Hydrogen plays a key role as a future technology.

Now that the funding decision for the first hydrogen filling station in the Allgäu has been received, further measures can begin.

If everything goes well, the first truck will be filled up with hydrogen in the spring of 2023,” says Hold.

Bavaria has set itself ambitious climate goals and is striving for a consistent energy and mobility transition.

Innovative technologies and CO2-free, green hydrogen played a special role.

The funding program, which has been running since October 1, 2020, supports public and non-public hydrogen filling stations for commercial vehicles, buses and logistics vehicles with up to 90 percent of the eligible costs.

The conversion of the vehicles mentioned in combination with in-house filling stations is also funded.

Under the leadership of the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger, the Free State is to develop into a global hydrogen technology leader as part of the Bavarian hydrogen strategy.