Hydrogen refuelling stations in Denmark shut down due to limited demand.

Home > Industry Analysis > Content

【Summary】Danish hydrogen fuel company Everfuel is closing its hydrogen refuelling stations for cars due to a lack of demand and problems with its technology. The company will instead focus on refuelling heavy transport vehicles and green hydrogen production, which is better supported by EU policies. Everfuel cited the delayed rollout of hydrogen vehicles, a shortage of skilled personnel, and limited access to capital as reasons for its decision.

FutureCar Staff Sep 19, 2023 6:32 AM PT

Hydrogen refuelling stations in Denmark shut down due to limited demand.

Everfuel, a Danish-based hydrogen fuel company, has announced its decision to close its "loss-making legacy" hydrogen refuelling stations for cars and shift its focus to heavy transport. The company made this announcement alongside its third-quarter results, attributing the decision to problems with its technology, including the grounding of its hydrogen trailer fleet and the closure of some stations. Everfuel also cited the lack of hydrogen cars, shortage of skilled personnel, immature technology, project complexities, delayed third-party hydrogen sources, supply chain constraints, and cost inflation as factors influencing its decision.

In addition, Everfuel highlighted the delayed roll-out of hydrogen vehicles at scale, a limited pool of competent personnel, and limited access to capital in the current market environment as reasons for its shift in strategy. To ensure financial stability, the company will be closing its loss-making legacy stations and focusing on developing a network for refuelling heavy-duty vehicles. It also plans to prioritize green hydrogen production, which it believes is better supported by EU policies.

Founded in 2019, Everfuel aims to establish a European-wide hydrogen production and supply system for heavy-duty vehicles. The company has already formed partnerships across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Everfuel's CEO, Jacob Krogsgaard, expressed apologies for the inconvenience caused to customers and employees, stating that they cannot continue to subsidize public hydrogen refuelling. However, the company will honor existing firm supply contracts.

This announcement comes after Everfuel grounded its hydrogen trailer fleet a few months ago due to a malfunction and leak of a valve on one of the trailers. The company's announcement acknowledged "continuous low technical uptime" for its existing refuelling stations, indicating that hydrogen technology is still in its early stages. Everfuel is currently developing several refuelling stations that comply with the AFIR legislation, including sites in the Port of Aarhus, Taulov, and Vordingborg in Denmark; Alnabru in Norway; Trelleborg and Karlstad in Sweden; and the Frankfurt and Wuppertal bus stations in Germany.