Under pressure, the American company Plug, which has undertaken cost-cutting measures*, is taking action in the liquid hydrogen sector, and is starting to deliver trailers for its mobility customers.

Still relatively fragile, hydrogen giants need to prove the relevance of their business model. However, on Plug’s end things are moving forward. Liquid hydrogen production began at its Georgia plant at the beginning of the year. Currently, the company stands at 15 tonnes per day, which is enough to supply 15,000 forklift trucks a day. The site is equipped with 8 electrolysers, with a 5 MW capacity each. Plug has also set up liquid hydrogen production site at another plant in Tennessee with a capacity of 10 tonnes per day. The American company is even planning to add another site (as part of a joint venture) for a further 15 tonnes by the third quarter of this year.

Easily-deployed stations in the absence of a fixed infrastructure

To supply its customers, Plug then puts trailers on the road to deliver this liquid hydrogen. It is also proposing an innovation that will make up for the lack of infrastructure for mobility. Following the acquisition of ACT (Applied Cryo Technologies), the company now has a facility in Houston (Texas), enabling it to offer portable stations. Certified for safety, they can be transported by road and installed in fleets at customers’ premises, particularly for heavy goods vehicles, but also for commercial vehicles.

The stations concerned can carry 1,500 kg of liquid hydrogen. They are equipped with a vaporisation system and a pump that enables vehicles to be fully and directly refuelled, at a pressure of 350 or 700 bars. “With minimal upfront costs, mass transit authorities, logistics companies, and retailers can now quickly pop up low-carbon hydrogen refueling infrastructure to support their fleets,” stated Andy Marsh, Plug CEO. The portable station can also be used to refuel buses, trains and ferries.

All it takes is an electrical socket to install the station, which can then be moved to another site. And for even greater efficiency, the stations can be remotely controlled for maintenance.

*The goal is to reduce expenses by 75 million dollars per year.

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Mariem Ben Tili