The roll-out of hydrogen trucks and refuelling infrastructure in Europe must be supported by subsidies. This is the view of H2Accelerate, a partnership of companies from the hydrogen and transport sectors.
According to the organisation, combined funding can reduce investment risks and accelerate the commercial deployment of hydrogen in road transport. Current European funding largely supports hydrogen refuelling stations and hydrogen trucks through separate programmes. According to H2Accelerate, this makes it more difficult to align supply and demand. Refuelling station operators need sufficient customers to make their investments profitable, whilst transport companies want certainty regarding the availability of refuelling infrastructure before they invest in hydrogen lorries.
Jointly
H2Accelerate therefore proposes that future European funding programmes, including the next generation of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF), should support both vehicles and refuelling stations. Projects should be submitted jointly by refuelling station operators and transport companies.
The Netherlands and Germany are already applying this approach. Since 2024, the Dutch subsidy programme for hydrogen in mobility (SWiM) has supported both hydrogen vehicles and refuelling stations. In the first two funding rounds, approximately 72 million euros were awarded to projects involving around 600 vehicles and fifteen new or expanded refuelling stations.
Interest
In January 2026, Germany introduced a similar scheme with a budget of 220 million euros. The country aims to support up to forty refuelling stations and around four hundred hydrogen lorries through this scheme. The level of interest exceeded the available budget: applications were submitted for more than seventy refuelling stations and 455 vehicles.
Since 2021, Europe has allocated approximately 400 to 450 million euros through AFIF to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure projects. This has made funding available for 275 planned refuelling stations. However, according to H2Accelerate, the construction of refuelling stations alone does not provide sufficient certainty regarding their future use. Without a sufficient number of hydrogen trucks, demand may lag behind, putting pressure on operations.
More efficient
According to the organisation, combined funding can also make the use of public funds more efficient. H2Accelerate compares a package involving a refuelling station with a capacity of one metric tonne of hydrogen per day and thirty hydrogen-powered vehicles. Based on Dutch subsidy schemes, the average public funding for this amounted to approximately 4.21 million euros. If financed separately through comparable European programmes, a similar roll-out would cost an estimated 8.84 million euros. The organisation emphasises that these are indicative figures, as the schemes differ in scope and eligible technologies.
Greater certainty
H2Accelerate advocates that future European subsidy schemes should support joint projects, be announced in good time and include clear deadlines for the commissioning of vehicles and infrastructure. There must also remain scope for different vehicle types and refuelling technologies.
The consortium includes Daimler Truck, the Volvo Group, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, Linde and TotalEnergies, amongst others. The companies are collaborating on the upscaling of hydrogen for long-distance transport in Europe.
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