Gothenburg signs agreement with fuel cell vehicle maker

Renova, which is owned by 10 municipalities in the Gothenburg region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for H2X Global to provide it with five commercial vehicles from the H2X range: one 18 tonne back loader truck, one 28 tonne demountable truck and three 3.5 tonne tail lift vehicles.

The agreement creates an opportunity for the Australian manufacturer to establish a growing business in Scandinavia for the development and production of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles. Initially, the collaboration concerns converting brand new vehicles from other suppliers, and it includes support throughout the vehicles' entire life cycle.

“Renova has long been at the forefront in terms of vehicle technology. Together with the City of Gothenburg and other collaboration partners, we work continuously to develop sustainable transport solutions. We believe that the collaboration with H2X Global is a step to further reduce our environmental impact,” says Anders Åström, CEO at Renova.  

Sweden aims to become the world's first fossil-free welfare state. To get there, emissions from the transport sector must be reduced and therefore hydrogen will play a crucial role. The goal is for Sweden to reach net zero before 2045 and by 2030, emissions will be reduced by 70 per cent compared with 2010. 

The City of Gothenburg has formulated its goals even more specifically. The city’s own vehicle fleet will be fossil-free as early as 2023, and by 2030 the carbon emissions will be reduced by 90 per cent in the city’s entire transport system. Within Gothenburg Green City Zone the city is aiming at achieving emission-free transport by 2030 – that is, transport solely driven by electricity or hydrogen.

“We are proud to be chosen as Renova and the City of Gothenburg’s partner to develop the foundations to further reduce their carbon footprint. With H2X, the vehicle options available to the city are expanded,” says Peter Westh, head of H2X Global in northern Europe.

Gothenburg is home to one of Europe’s leading technology universities, Chalmers University of Technology. The university carries out ongoing research into renewable alternatives and has extensive innovation activities linked to hydrogen. In Sweden and northern Europe there are also leading hydrogen and vehicle suppliers. These are some of the reasons why H2X Global is setting up its European head office in Gothenburg. 

“The H2X model matches the highly innovative and forward-thinking Scandinavian approach. Our unique hybrid model of vehicle development using supercapacitors instead of batteries is a key component,” says Peter Westh.

Patrik Andersson, CEO at Business Region Göteborg, welcomes H2X as a partner of the City of Gothenburg for hydrogen fuel cell solutions.  

“The phasing out of fossil fuels is facilitated by switching to hydrogen fuel cell technology in certain applications. I warmly welcome H2X as a partner to the City of Gothenburg in this development. Their establishment here complements our already strong industrial cluster in sustainable mobility in an exciting way,” says Patrik Andersson. 

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