H2 Energy: How we will refuel in the future 🎥

The kvyreen is mobile and solves mainly local and temporary network load problems.

While this circuit is being further developed and expanded, H2 Energy and AVIA Osterwalder St. Gallen will begin test operations of the next application in October 2021: a mobile, hydrogen-powered fast charger for battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

The big advantage: The kvyreen - as it is called - is mobile and solves the problem of local and temporary grid load. It does so CO2-free, using green hydrogen from renewable energies. ABB, Empa and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) are involved as project partners.

Battery electric vehicle fast charging
Its use enables the rapid charging of battery electric vehicles. The fact that kvyreen, developed by Swiss hydrogen pioneer H2 Energy, is starting test operations in St. Gallen is no coincidence.

The roll-out of a globally unique hydrogen ecosystem took place at the AVIA Osterwalder AG filling station in July 2020; an H2 cycle that enables mobility with renewable energy and without CO2 emissions. While already saving around ten tons of CO2 emissions per day, H2 Energy and AVIA Osterwalder St. Gallen offer the next application with the kvyreen.

Charging power of up to 150 kW per vehicle
The test phase will be accompanied by a study conducted by project partner Empa, which will investigate the combination potential of green hydrogen and cyclic solar energy for clean electromobility.

In later commercial applications, fast charging with the kvyreen enables charging power of up to 150 kW per vehicle, allowing battery electric cars to be charged to 100 kilometers in eight to ten minutes.

Rapidly increasing demand for fast charging stations

Thomas Walter, project manager and member of the management of H2 Energy: "At Oberstrasse 141 in St. Gallen, customers will find the filling station of the future from October. While hydrogen refueling is already commonplace, battery electric vehicles can now also be charged here with guaranteed renewable energy. In this way, we are responding to the rapidly increasing demand for fast-charging stations, as well as to the temporary and local additional load that these represent for the power grid."

Storage infrastructure of the hydrogen filling station

Martin Osterwalder, CO CEO of AVIA Osterwalder AG: "Depending on the location, the kvyreen is supplied with green hydrogen on a mobile basis or via the storage infrastructure of the hydrogen filling station. Since it is a mobile cube, it can be set up at other filling stations with little effort. This allows us to offer off-grid fast charging exactly where it is in demand, for example at mountain stations in winter, at the portals of the Gotthard in summer, at major festivals or at trade fairs."

Cross-sector clean energy system
The key advantage of this solution is the storage capability of green hydrogen. This can be produced with renewable energies (wind, water, solar power plants) whenever they are available in surplus and are not needed in the power grid.

The kvyreen thus enables the use of cyclically occurring energies - primarily in the mobility sector.
Parallel to the test phase of the first kvyreen, developments are underway for other areas of application. The system is also suitable for additional, independent energy supply in the building sector, for the replacement of diesel generators, for the operation of ships, or in the use of construction site and supply vehicles.

Competence and know-how made in Switzerland
The driving force behind the kvyreen is the Swiss company H2 Energy, which is currently also setting up and expanding the hydrogen ecosystem in Switzerland and in various countries. The concept, design, control, construction and project management of the kvyreen are in the hands of the Swiss experts.

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