At the Tübingen innovation hub, DB Energie is testing new technologies for sustainable rail energy supply, including in the “H2goesRail” project. (Earlier post.) Using the green hydrogen produced, a climate-neutral hydrogen train will be put into operation this year on a test route in Baden-Württemberg between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim.
The H2goesRail project is a partnership between Deutsche Bahn and Siemens Mobility to develop an innovative hydrogen system for rail transport, which will comprise a refueling station, hydrogen train, and maintenance infrastructure. .
DB aims to replace diesel multiple units in regional service and thus further reduce carbon emissions in rail transport. To achieve this, with H2goesRail DB is developing an innovative mobile refueling station whose smart control unit will allow fast refueling of hydrogen trains.
DB Energie GmbH will ensure the supply of hydrogen for the project, from production by means of renewable-powered electrolysis all the way through to storage and provision.
The green hydrogen produced on site will be compressed and stored in a mobile storage tank before being processed and cooled in an adjacent tank trailer ready for vehicles to refuel.
Lower energy consumption and shorter refueling times will be achieved through communication between the train and the refueling station and a pressure regulated refueling control system. The innovative DB Energie tank station will refuel a hydrogen train in the same time as it would take to refuel a diesel train.
Alongside the hydrogen refueling station newly designed by DB Energie GmbH, Siemens Mobility is developing the hydrogen train Mireo Plus H in close cooperation with Deutsche Bahn. Its drive system comprises a fuel cell and traction battery, making it just as powerful as electric multiple units.
This project demonstrates the economic viability of hydrogen solutions in the transport and mobility sector. Sustainable energy sources and innovative technologies are needed to decarbonize the transport sector. One of these technologies is hydrogen-powered trains, which are a clean and efficient alternative to conventional diesel-powered trains as they are virtually CO2-free. The H2goesRail project is a pioneer in the field of passenger and freight transportation.
—Luc Graré, Head of Central and Eastern Europe at Lhyfe
With this project, Lhyfe wants to gain experience for a largely autonomously operated system, as well as the direct coupling of hydrogen production with a filling station on a large scale. The commissioning of the complex system with its many different dynamics, from production to multiple compression, storage and refueling of the hydrogen, is a particular challenge.
Lhyfe is taking on this challenge in order to provide Deutsche Bahn and subsequent partners with a hydrogen production plant that can be used to test the integration of green hydrogen production into customer processes.
Lhyfe develops customized solutions throughout Europe for the construction of local production and distribution systems for green hydrogen. The site in Tübingen is Lhyfe’s first plant in Germany. Another 10 MW plant is currently being built in Schwäbisch Gmünd, which will produce up to 4 tons of green hydrogen per day.
Lhyfe aims to become a major player in the mobility and industry sector, through customer deliveries in tube trailer (bulk) in France and Germany by 2025. Several other sites throughout Europe are already under construction or being expanded. Lhyfe has been operating its first green hydrogen site in France since the second half of 2021, and two other sites were opened in France in 2023.
