Ground-Breaking Announcement: OGE, IVECO and NIKOLA will enter Hydrogen Collaboration
In a watershed development for the future of next generation hydrogen transportation in Germany and ultimately the rest of Europe, OGE, Nikola and IVECO intend to collaborate on the deployment of a hydrogen infrastructure and fueling solution. The collaboration will facilitate the cost-effective distribution of hydrogen from production to storage and fueling locations to serve the needs of industry.
The agreement, codified in a Letter of Intent, establishes a business structure for transporting hydrogen via OGE's delivery systems and Nikola's fueling locations for all Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) at key locations.
According to the press release, the parties will collaborate with the intent to increase the availability of FCEVs and the necessary infrastructure required to operate trucks using hydrogen fuel. The collaboration is being launched with the intent to further define and formalize the roles and responsibilities of the parties and the required collaboration governance to enable execution of objectives to be stated in definitive agreements.
Dr. Thomas Hüwener, OGE's Chief Technical Officer, said "OGE is committed to establishing a pipeline infrastructure to transport hydrogen from production sources to critical exit points of distribution. We are proud to play an essential role in enabling fueling station development through our network capabilities and in working towards decarbonizing the economy.” OGE is an owner and operator of a 12,000-km natural gas pipeline infrastructure network in Germany.
Nikola, a leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles, FCEVs and energy infrastructure solutions, is pleased by the collaboration's long-term prospects: ”Nikola is committed to delivering and advancing industry-leading hydrogen production, distribution and supply,” said Nikola's President of Energy and Commercial Pablo Koziner. “We believe this collaboration, in particular, presents a very compelling long-term fueling distribution solution that we expect to advance industry and overall market adoption of FCEV technologies.”
IVECO, a brand of CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) and a pioneer in the commercialization and manufacture of vehicles powered by alternative fuels, said, for its part: “The ecosystem of transport will transform and current business models along the value chain will change with the introduction of hydrogen and battery-powered heavy-duty trucks,” said Gerrit Marx, President Commercial & Specialty Vehicles, CNH Industrial. “Our collaboration is a great first step in starting up a growing platform of partnerships to make this a reality here in Europe, which requires entrepreneurial and non-linear thinking across fossil industrial structures.“