Moreland City Council has teamed up with the experts at H2U to develop the first commercial-scale hydrogen refuelling station in Australia. This project aims to provide a pilot fleet of waste vehicles powered by 100% renewable hydrogen.
H2U together with their partners CNH Industrial will develop and test a fleet of pre-production hydrogen fuel cell waste trucks built locally for Council to use.
Through this project, Council can continue its transition away from fossil diesel fuel and toward renewable hydrogen for heavy fleet vehicles.
The project intends to demonstrate to other Councils, Governments and transport companies that hydrogen fuel is a viable way to fuel heavy-use vehicles with zero emissions.
Council’s 18 garbage trucks, which operate on diesel fuel, account for over half of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our entire fleet of vehicles. They also contribute to local air and noise pollution.
Options to reduce emissions from heavy-fleet vehicles have been few and far between and a long time coming and are the key to reducing transport-related emissions.
Transitioning from diesel trucks to the new hydrogen-fuel trucks will result in a quieter and cleaner waste service for Moreland residents.
We hope to significantly reduce our carbon emissions through the project, and also stimulate the emerging renewable hydrogen fuel industry in Moreland, Victoria and Australia. The State Government have announced a $1 million contribution, under Round 2 of the New Energy Jobs Fund, to help see the project come to life.
Moreland is proud to be a certified carbon neutral organisation, with a strong track record delivering energy efficiency upgrades and installing large solar PV systems on our Council buildings. This Australian-first transport project will take us closer to achieving our zero emissions goal.
Stages of the project
The proposed development has a number of stages, with tentative timing:
- Design of the renewable hydrogen refuelling station and preparation of planning permit application by H2U –
underway - Council undertakes statutory notification, review, approvals for site lease and planning permit –
by June/July 2018 - Construction by H2U (pending approvals and finance) –
late-2018 to mid-2019 - Hydrogen refuelling station commissioning and hydrogen waste truck trial –
from mid- to late-2019.
Further information
For further information, please email Council or call 03 9240 1264.
