The taxi industry and private drivers in Norway show increased interest in hydrogen cars. The statistics from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council, which were published today, show an increase of as much as 35% in the number of new hydrogen cars registered in Norway in 2022. This amounts to 57 new hydrogen cars, and we have to go back to the previous peak year, 2017, to find corresponding figures for new hydrogen cars on the roads.
Hynion takes part in this positive development. We observe a significant increase in the number of hydrogen fillings at our stations. The volumes of hydrogen sold at the Høvik station have more than doubled in 2022 compared to the sales figures from 2021.
Especially in the taxi industry, hydrogen cars have become an interesting zero-emission alternative. Refueling the hydrogen car is quick, the car has a long range, and it is exempt from road tolls. This results in cheaper and more efficient operation of the taxi fleet. A number of the newly established taxi operators in Norway drive hydrogen taxis, but also veterans such as Oslo Taxi are back and trying out the new hydrogen cars. The vast majority of taxis are supplied by Toyota and Toyota´s press manager, Espen Olsen, says he is very satisfied with the development. "The experience so far is good. We see that taxis running on hydrogen are very effective when the cars drive several shifts", says Olsen.
Although the market is waiting for the hydrogen trucks to hit the roads in greater scales, there are a number of car manufacturers launching hydrogen cars - both for passenger and heavy-duty transport. Stellantis is clear that they will come up with hydrogen powered vehicles and BMW has said that they are moving towards mass production of hydrogen-powered cars in the coming years. Toyota and Hyundai continue their hydrogen innovation work and will launch new models over the next two years. Among the Asian car makers, we also notice that Honda, which is one of the veterans in hydrogen cars, has announced that they will build a factory for its new CR-V model on hydrogen in the USA next year.
Hynion is expanding its network of hydrogen stations in Scandinavia to meet the increasing growth in hydrogen-powered vehicles. As one of the most experienced hydrogen fuel players in the region, the company has both the expertise and resources to handle the growing demand. Hynion is a leading player on the Swedish market, and with allocations from the Swedish Energy Agency, we are expanding the network of hydrogen stations for both private cars and heavy-duty transport. Four new hydrogen stations are in the making with a planned opening in 2023/2024.
In addition, Hynion strengthens the value chain by planning for local production of hydrogen to serve its network of stations in Sweden. By developing an efficient value chain for short-distance hydrogen from production to consumption in the transport sector, Hynion sharpens the business model of running a profitable business. In addition, it will ensure a good and steady supply of hydrogen for the first 100 trucks that hit the roads ", says Ulf Hafseld, CEO of Hynion.