Copenhagen Opens First Hydrogen Station and Takes Delivery of 8 Fuel Cell Powered Cars
Persons in front of fuel cell car and hydrogen station (from left to right): - Canadian Ambassador of Denmark, Peter Lundy, Technical & Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, Klaus Bondam, Director H2 Logic A/S, Jacob Krogsgaard, Danish Transport Minister, Lars Barfoed, Board Chairman of HyRAMP, Andreas Ziolek
Now the City of Copenhagen is also getting around on hydrogen
The City of Copenhagen is on track to achieve its ambitious goal of being carbon-neutral by 2025 – and today’s milestone was the opening of Copenhagen’s first hydrogen filling station. Here, the city’s eight new hydrogen-powered vehicles were introduced – and filled up.
Driving home the green message – on hydrogen
Today the ribbon was cut at the city’s first hydrogen filling station, and the city’s eight hydrogen-powered vehicles were introduced – and celebrated. This takes the City of Copenhagen another step along the long road to achieving its goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral capital city. Later this year it will also acquire 25 electric cars, bringing the total number of environmentally friendly vehicles to thirty-three.
The opening of the hydrogen station in Copenhagen (persons in the picture: from left to right): Board Chairman of HyRAMP, Andreas Ziolek, Canadian Ambassador of Denmark, Peter Lundy, Danish Transport Minister, Lars Barfoed, Director H2 Logic A/S, Jacob Krogsgaard, Technical & Environmental Mayor of Copenhagen, Klaus Bondam
The ribbon to the hydrogen filling station was cut by Technology and Environment Mayor Klaus Bondam, allowing the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to trundle in and be filled up by Director of H2 Logic Jacob Krogsgaard in the presence of, among others, Danish Minister for Transport Lars Barfoed, Canadian Ambassador Peter Lundy, and Chairman of the Board of HyRamp Andreas Ziolek. The hydrogen-powered vehicles and hydrogen filling station were also shown to the press, cooperation partners and other parties with an interest in climate-friendly transport.
Running on hydrogen
Once the City of Copenhagen’s eight new hydrogen-powered vehicles, comprising two working vehicles and six cars, had been filled up with hydrogen, they were taken for a test-drive. Technology and Environment Mayor Klaus Bondam, Minister for Transport Lars Barfoed and Ambassador Lundy all enjoyed a trip around the city.
Championing clean transport
At the opening ceremony, Klaus Bondam said: “Today we are putting Copenhagen on the map as a champion of clean transport. Together with H2 Logic, Copenhagen is setting in motion the development of hydrogen transport in Denmark and in Northern Europe because the hydrogen filling station in Copenhagen will help provide future hydrogen-powered vehicles from Scandinavia and Germany with hydrogen. The project is a visionary investment in the future and one of many that will ensure that we achieve our goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral capital city by 2025.”
Danish Transport Minister Lars Barfoed in fuel cell car at the hand-over on 12. Nov. 2009
Many projects to be launched
The opening included various speeches, including from Danish Minister for Transport Lars Barfoed, who said: “The Danish government is keenly focused on the development of sustainable transport solutions that can help us achieve our goal of reducing carbon without losing mobility. We will therefore be closely monitoring developments in this project and listening to the lessons learned by the City of Copenhagen and H2 Logic. I think it is extremely important for us to launch as many projects as possible within sustainable transport solutions so that we ensure broad coverage of the possibilities rather than focusing solely on one technology or another. The Centre for Green Transport under the Road Safety and Transport Agency is
currently in partnership with the City of Copenhagen to establish a network between the municipalities and the Centre to gather experience and share knowledge on electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles.”
Canadian Ambassador to Denmark Peter Lundy believes that the project is the result of a very exciting collaboration between two nations – Denmark and Canada – that are world leaders in the development of green technology: “The collaboration is bringing new technologies to the market that are having an immediate positive effect on the environment and our daily lives.”
Copenhagen an ambassador for hydrogen technology
Chairman of the Board of HyRamp Andreas Ziolek is an expert on the establishment of regional and private partnerships in Europe when it comes to the development of hydrogen transport. Ziolek also made a speech, stressing the important role that Copenhagen will be playing for the future of the climate at the upcoming summit meeting. He also expressed delight that Copenhagen now has a hydrogen filling station so that the city can be an ambassador for hydrogen technology during the summit.
Impetus for developments
The purpose of the hydrogen-powered vehicle project is to provide impetus for developments in the area. The City of Copenhagen has therefore taken the lead with the acquisition of hydrogen vehicles, while a private partner, H2 Logic, has invested in the hydrogen filling station.
Jacob Krogsgaard, Director of H2 Logic, congratulated the City of Copenhagen on the acquisition of the eight hydrogen-powered vehicles and thanked it for the collaboration: “The transfer of the hydrogenpowered vehicles to the City of Copenhagen and the opening of the hydrogen filling station are another big step towards commercial use of hydrogen for transport. The City of Copenhagen’s daily use of the vehicles will bring major operating experience. And the vehicles and filling station could not have been delivered today without a successful public-private partnership.”
