Hyundai hydrogen-powered trucks at the new Sonol station in Yagur (Photo: Idan Sabah)
A network of hydrogen refueling stations that will cover most of Israel will be built in Israel within three years, following the first station established by Begur in Haifa Bay, Sonol and ORL, subsidized by the Ministry of Energy.
The stations will be built in Dimona, Yotvata and in the center of the country. Unlike the Bigur plant, which will supply gray hydrogen, which is produced using natural gas, the other three stations will provide green hydrogen, which will be produced using solar energy and without any pollution. Hydrogen is used to generate electricity in the vehicle itself using a fuel cell, in a process that does not produce pollution, and enables the operation of electric vehicles, without the need for heavy batteries and long charging times.
The other stations are also designed to refuel heavy vehicles, mainly trucks, such as Sonol's pilot and Hyundai Calmobil. There are contacts with public transport companies to operate hydrogen-powered buses. All stations are designed to operate at a pressure of 350 wells, which is not suitable for a hydrogen-powered private vehicle, which needs a pressure of 700 well. It will be possible to place additional pumps adapted for it at the stations.
From right to left: Assaf Almagor, CEO of ORL, Yaniv Shirazi, CEO of Colmobil, Minister of Energy Israel Katz and Sonol CEO Nir Galili (Photo: Idan Sabah)
The Jaguar station was built with the support of NIS 3 million from the Chief Scientist Unit of the Ministry of Energy, which also invested an additional NIS 12 million in supporting research in the field of hydrogen, companies and start-ups in the field, and financing hydrogen trucks. Sonol and ORL were chosen to build the station in 2019 and only now is it starting to operate.
Europe already has hundreds of hydrogen refueling stations, which the EU is promoting to move the heavy truck market to refueling there starting in 2025. This is because powering a heavy truck with electricity for long journeys is complicated by the large number of batteries required, which greatly increases their price and reduces their carrying capacity.
Energy Minister Yisrael Katz said at the ceremony that the ministry's budget for 2023 includes an investment of NIS 20 million in the construction of additional gas stations, support for expanding the use of hydrogen-powered trucks, and initial government funding for a hydrogen "hub" that will engage in research and development on the subject.
Also present at the launch event were Sonol Chairman Dudi Weissman; Sonol CEO Nir Galili; ORL Chairman Moshe Kaplinsky; ORL CEO Assaf Almagor and Colmobil CEO Yaniv Shirazi
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