Steel Guru : OMV, Linde and Daimler AG opens new hydrogen filling station

On the site of the OMV service station at Stuttgart Airport, OMV in cooperation with Linde AG and Daimler AG is opening Baden Württemberg's first publicly accessible hydrogen filling station on June 17th 2009. This successful cooperation between the participating companies is subsidized by the State of Baden Württemberg. The project is centered on the use of hydrogen as an environmentally friendly energy carrier.

Hydrogen filling stations represent an important step toward reducing dependence on fossil fuels in the long term and are a step closer to emission free sustainable mobility. The innovative hydrogen filling station will serve fuel cell vehicles of the latest generation, such as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, with 700 bar high pressure technology. Small series production of this vehicle is to commence later this year in Germany.

The proximity of the OMV service station to Stuttgart Airport and to Daimler AG's research and development centers, together with the cooperative contact between the two companies, is providing the basis for the establishment of Baden-Württemberg's first publicly accessible hydrogen filling station. Within the framework of a public private partnership, the hydrogen station will provide an important impulse for a future supply network for this German federal state, thus supporting the operation of local emission free electric vehicles on the basis of fuel cell technology.

Baden Württemberg's State Premier Mr Günther H Oettinger of the joint project said that "The development of new drive technologies is crucial to Baden Württemberg's automotive industry and will ensure that it can emerge with renewed strength from the current crisis and participate in the race for international technological leadership. Hydrogen technology plays a decisive role here. By entering the field of hydrogen technology we are protecting natural resources, while at the same time reducing our dependence on the import of fossil fuels. This initiative is a key component of Baden Württemberg's sustainability strategy by utilizing energy in a future proof way, we are promoting environmentally friendly and thus sustainable mobility."

Dr Thomas Weber, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Group research and Mercedes Benz Cars development, said that "Our fuel cell vehicles have already demonstrated their suitability for everyday operation. To turn emission free driving into reality, we now need a comprehensive network of hydrogen filling stations. We therefore wholeheartedly welcome and support the initiative of OMV."

OMV operates around 400 filling stations in Germany, with a clear focus on the south of the country with the two federal states of Bavaria and Baden Württemberg, along with further filling stations in the states of Thuringia and Saxony. The hydrogen filling station project at Stuttgart Airport is the first of its kind in Germany for OMV.