An eventful 1st year for H2Accelerate TRUCKS

The H2Accelerate TRUCKS project was kicked off February 1^st 2023. Substantial activities have since then been dedicated to communication, participation to international events and event planning for the future years. Following the newly finalised Communication and dissemination strategy of the project, partners have focused on creating new project-dedicated communication platforms, as well as consolidating their individual channels.

Outreach on project Ambitions and Goals

In order to enhance visibility and foster collaboration, the project has embarked on a strategic journey on social media. In addition to the project webpage, LinkedIn and X (ex-Twitter) have become the focal points for our online presence and provide followers with live updates on our activities, inform on the technology developed and promote collaboration and discussion. Moreover, the project partners have shared throughout the past year some valuable insights and project updates, as highlighted by a total of 15 articles published.

Events giving high visibility

Aside from social media activities and to better engage with stakeholders, the H2Accelerate TRUCKS partners have organised and participated to a series of events where the project was presented.

In March 2023, partner IRU actively organised a workshop on the revision of the Weights and Dimensions Directive, attended by its members – mainly national associations of transport operators. The industry got to know about the H2Accelerate TRUCKS project’s objectives and showed a big interest in following the milestones and lessons learned. This event has, thus, contributed to increasing the awareness and engagement of European stakeholders on upcoming directives and hydrogen truck deployment activities through H2Accelerate TRUCKS.

Additionally, IRU has organised a series of 3 webinars from February to April 2024 together with POLIS network to serve as a platform for in-depth discussions on various subjects related to the H2Accelerate TRUCKS and other zero-emission truck projects. During the webinars, European initiatives on zero-emission vehicles, current developments in research and innovation and regulatory updates such as CO2 standards and the AFIR roadmap were discussed with panels from transport operators, OEMs and other stakeholders. H2Accelerate TRUCKS were represented by IVECO and TotalEnergies. This initiative supported further exchange of ideas and perspectives on the H2Accelerate TRUCKS project and on hydrogen-related topics, throughout the life of the project. The third IRU webinar, arranged on April 16^th 2024, featured a presentation and panel intervention by HRS representatives and focused the discussion on the challenges associated with hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for heavy goods vehicles.

Project partner FIAP also promoted the project with the Italian press by participating in national radio programmes, notably with Radio24 and IlSole24Ore Group radio. This new broadcasting channels enable a broader reach and impact of the project.

In total, partner UNTRR took part in 11 events focusing their discussion on the future of transportation, including seminars and conferences attended by Romanian authorities and industry players, truck manufacturers, energy providers and road transport operators.

One noteworthy event was the seminar on challenges and opportunities of new sustainability rules for road transport, held in March 2023, during which UNTRR moderated the discussion on two crucial aspects for the shift of Romanian companies towards zero-emission vehicles: the subsidization of green truck purchases featuring alternative fuels with low or zero emissions, and the development of the related infrastructure. These discussions play a fundamental role in introducing the technology to emerging markets where hydrogen is still under development for commercial road transport operations.

Lastly, since last October, UNTRR has been regularly attending meetings of the Hydrogen Working Group organised by the Romanian Parliament Commission for Industries. These meetings gather Romanian authorities, professional associations and other industrial stakeholders to discuss various topics related to the development of hydrogen in the country.

Alongside these partner-specific events, the consortium also attended international events which provided an opportunity to present the project to key stakeholders of the hydrogen-transportation sector, while making a link to the H2Haul project. Amongst the attended events are the HyVolution 2024 conference in Paris, where our associated partner TotalEnergies announced the launch of their joint venture with AirLiquide, TEAL Mobility, and the Connecting Europe Days, where UNTRR and TotalEnergies have participated to the debate session Energising heavy duty road transport: Assessing hydrogen uptake in the EU.

A substantial outreach activity took place during the European Hydrogen Week 2023, at which several partners contributed to share objectives and initial results from the H2Accelerate TRUCKS project.

In total, over the course of 2023, partners represented the project at over 20 events, leading to the publication of more than 15 articles in 8 languages.

What’s next?

Looking ahead to upcoming events, an intervention from H2Accelerate TRUCKS is scheduled during the Transpotec Logitec 2024 at the Milan Fair, where the project will be represented by partner FIAP as part of a discussion panel dedicated to energy and energy carriers.

Visibility during the European Hydrogen Week 2024 in November is under planning.

Lastly, media interventions, press, web, and radio outlets are in the pipeline to further disseminate activities about H2Accelerate TRUCKS. A dynamic schedule for 2024 reflects a strategic and comprehensive effort to promote H2Accelerate TRUCKS across diverse platforms and audiences.