H2REF · Project

Hydrogen Refuelling Stations That Cost Half as Much and Last 10 Years

energyTestedTRL 6

Filling up a hydrogen car today is painfully expensive — the stations cost around €900,000 each, and the compressors that push hydrogen into car tanks wear out fast. H2REF built a completely different kind of compression system using hydraulics instead of traditional mechanical pistons. Think of it like replacing a complex engine with a simple hydraulic jack — fewer moving parts, way less maintenance, and it uses 50% less electricity. They tested it to simulate 10 years of heavy daily use and got the cost down to roughly half of what stations cost today.

By the numbers

€900,000 → €450,000

Hydrogen station cost reduction (complete system)

€300,000

Target manufacturing cost for compression and buffering module (at 50 units/year)

50%

Energy consumption reduction vs. current compressors

1.5 kWh/kg

Target energy consumption for hydrogen compression

72,000

Refuelling cycles simulated in lab testing

10 years

Target maintenance-free operation lifetime

6-15

Vehicles refuelled per hour at 70 MPa

€5,968,554

EU contribution to the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Building hydrogen refuelling stations today is extremely expensive — a single station costs around €900,000, with the compression system being the biggest cost driver. On top of that, conventional compressors are energy-hungry and break down frequently, driving up operating costs and reducing station uptime. This makes the business case for hydrogen mobility infrastructure painfully difficult, slowing down the entire hydrogen vehicle market.

The solution

What was built

The project built and tested a hydraulics-based hydrogen compression and buffering module designed to replace conventional mechanical compressors at 70 MPa refuelling stations. The system was validated through lab testing simulating 72,000 refuelling cycles (equivalent to 10 years of daily operation), and a public demonstration event was held to showcase the technology.

Audience

Who needs this

Hydrogen refuelling station developers and operatorsIndustrial gas companies expanding into hydrogen mobilityFleet operators building hydrogen refuelling depotsCompression and gas equipment manufacturersGovernment agencies planning hydrogen infrastructure rollout

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

enterprise

Target: Companies building or operating hydrogen refuelling stations

If you are a hydrogen station operator struggling with high equipment costs and frequent compressor breakdowns — this project developed a hydraulics-based compression and buffering module targeting a manufacturing cost of €300,000, compared to the current complete station cost of approximately €900,000. The system was designed for 10 years of operation without significant preventive maintenance, validated through lab testing simulating 72,000 refuelling cycles.

Automotive and fleet management

mid-size

Target: Fleet operators running hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

If you are a fleet manager considering hydrogen vehicles but worried about refuelling infrastructure costs — this project demonstrated a station design targeting a complete cost of €450,000, nearly half the current €900,000 price. The system can dispense to 6-15 vehicles per hour at 70 MPa, making it practical for depot-based fleet refuelling operations.

Industrial gas and energy equipment

enterprise

Target: Manufacturers of compression and gas handling equipment

If you are an equipment manufacturer looking to enter the hydrogen mobility market — this project proved a hydraulics-based compression concept from TRL 3 to TRL 6, achieving energy consumption below 1.5 kWh/kg, which is 50% below current systems. The technology was validated with 8 consortium partners across 4 countries and demonstrated at a public event.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the refuelling system actually cost?

The compression and buffering module targets a manufacturing cost of €300,000 assuming serial production of 50 systems per year. The complete hydrogen refuelling station, including pre-cooling and dispensing, targets €450,000 — roughly half the current market price of approximately €900,000.

Can this handle the throughput of a busy station?

The system was designed for 70 MPa dispensing capacity of 6 to 15 vehicles per hour (30 to 75 kg/hr) using a 75 kW power supply. Throughput depends on the inventory level in source storage of compressed hydrogen. This covers a range from small neighbourhood stations to medium-traffic locations.

Who owns the intellectual property and can I license it?

The project was funded under FCH2-RIA with 8 consortium partners, coordinated by Centre Technique des Industries Mécaniques (CETIM) in France. IP rights are governed by the consortium agreement. Interested companies should contact the coordinator through SciTransfer for licensing discussions.

How reliable is this compared to existing compressors?

The system targets 10 years of operation without significant preventive maintenance. This was validated through intensive lab testing simulating 20 refuellings per day over 10 years — equivalent to 72,000 refuelling cycles. The hydraulic design has fewer wearing mechanical parts than conventional piston compressors.

Is this technology ready to deploy now?

The project advanced the technology from TRL 3 (experimentally proven concept) to TRL 6 (technology demonstrated in relevant environment). A public demonstration event was held. Further development would focus on design optimization for manufacturing, additional demonstration, and building a product range for different station sizes.

What are the energy savings?

Average energy consumption for compression is below 1.5 kWh/kg of dispensed hydrogen. This represents a 50% reduction compared to current compression systems used in fuelling stations supplied by trailers, which is the most common supply method today and expected to remain so.

Does this meet current hydrogen standards and regulations?

The system was designed for 70 MPa refuelling, which is the standard pressure for hydrogen passenger vehicles. Based on available project data, the project followed industry standards for hydrogen refuelling. Specific certification status should be confirmed with the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

The H2REF consortium is heavily industry-oriented, with 6 out of 8 partners from industry (75% ratio), complemented by 1 university and 1 research organization. The consortium spans 4 countries (Germany, France, Norway, UK), covering major European hydrogen markets. Two SMEs are involved, suggesting both large industrial players and agile smaller companies contributed. The coordinator, CETIM (Centre Technique des Industries Mécaniques), is a well-established French technical centre for mechanical industries — a strong indicator that this technology was developed with manufacturing scale-up in mind. With nearly €6 million in EU funding, this was a substantial investment in bringing a specific hardware product closer to market.

CENTRE TECHNIQUE DES INDUSTRIES MECANIQUESCoordinator · FR
UNIVERSITE DE TECHNOLOGIE DE COMPIEGNEthirdparty · FR
Ludwig-Boelkow-Systemtechnik GmbHparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

CETIM (Centre Technique des Industries Mécaniques, France) coordinated this project. Contact SciTransfer to get connected with the right person on the team.

Order a report on this consortium See CENTRE TECHNIQUE DES INDUSTRIES MECANIQUES profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing this hydrogen compression technology or integrating it into your station design? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the consortium. Contact us for a detailed briefing.

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