Clermont-Ferrand, July 16-17, 2025 – The DelHyVEHR consortium has gathered at Trelleborg’s facilities in Clermont-Ferrand for its 18-Month General Assembly – marking the halfway point in this ambitious project aimed at advancing liquid hydrogen (LH₂) refuelling technology for heavy-mobility applications.
Over two days of intense discussions and presentations, partners showcased significant technical and strategic achievements across all work packages.
Substantial progress has been made in the development of the liquid hydrogen refuelling station. The overall layout and operating procedures have been drafted, with innovative concepts to reduce the evaporation of hydrogen (boil-off gas, BOG) and decrease distribution costs. On the demonstrator side, a recirculating concept for the test bench has been validated, enabling longer test durations while minimizing the LH₂ consumption. Together with the finalisation of the procurement of components for the station, this progress is paving the way for the first refuelling demonstrations.
Regarding the safe handling of liquid hydrogen during testing, a test bench safety plan has been validated by local authorities. In addition, a modelling of incidents at the refuelling station has been conducted to assess potential consequences and define appropriate mitigation measures and safety zones.
The development of the technical components of the station is moving forward as well. For example, the first design of the cryogenic centrifugal pump -developed to transfer the liquid hydrogen to heavy-duty applications- has been completed. Computational simulations show that the pump performance exceeds expectations, with experimental validation planned as the next step.
“These results clearly demonstrate that the DelHyVEHR project is well on track to fulfil its mission”, says project coordinator Pierre Bernard (ENGIE). “We’re making significant progress, and all the pieces are coming together. Yet, the upcoming and final phase will be critical for successfully delivering on our goals, focusing on hands-on testing, validation, and integration – the very core of the project.”
The next stage of the project will be dedicated to the construction of the test station at the demonstration site of ArianeGroup in Vernon, France – enabling the consortium to bring the developed technologies into practical application.
