Action stations

European car manufacturers BMW, Fiat and DaimlerChrysler have joined forces with petroleum giants BP, Agip and Linde to develop the roadside infrastructure needed for a future hydrogen economy. The Zero Emission Region, or Zero Regio, project involves the construction of hydrogen refuelling stations in Germany and Italy.

The scheme is one in a series of hydrogen partnerships Linde has been involved with. Last year Linde worked with nine other companies, including DaimlerChrysler, on the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) project to build a liquid and gas hydrogen refuelling station in Berlin.

Peter Winkler, project manager on Zero Regio, said the scheme was one evolving process rather than just a series of projects. ‘The number of cars involved are so small that it’s quite a tight-knit hydrogen family working together on all of these,’ he said.

As part of Zerio Regio, Linde will use its expertise in storing and transporting liquid hydrogen to install a pump, dispenser, and station in Frankfurt by next summer. The equipment is undergoing final testing at Linde’s facilities.