New hydrogen-powered vehicles are expected to be on Cypriot roads in 2023, as the decision to operate a filling station with the supply of green hydrogen that can be used as fuel for transport also paves the way for the introduction of new cars that they will be friendly to the environment and people.
Specifically, as decided, a hydrogen filling station will be created, within the limits of the Municipality of Aradippos, by Future Fuels Ltd. According to the environmental study, the hydrogen that will be produced is called green, as it will be produced from electricity that will come from renewable energy sources, as a contract has been signed with a green energy supplier in Cyprus. Consequently, the operation of the project is expected to contribute to the protection of the environment through the reduction of harmful emissions to the environment.
To date, however, there are three companies that produce vehicles with hydrogen propulsion and they are Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. Toyota, in fact, is the first company to have produced hydrogen vehicles and since 2015 a hydrogen car has been on the market, its price started from 60,000 euros. After seven years, however, its price is cheaper and with a simple calculation, a hydrogen vehicle is around 40,000 euros, which is the same as the value of an electric vehicle.
Quoting his knowledge to REPORTER, the Mechanic and Vehicle Engineer, Charalambos Kapetanios, stated that “in Cyprus we already have Legislation that covers the issue of hydrogen propulsion, as well as for LPG and natural gas propulsion which are 100% environmentally friendly. The fuel that has zero pollution, however, is hydrogen and then comes natural gas and then LPG”.
As for hydrogen, as explained by Mr. Kapetanios, “it is something that comes from water in the first phase, through the process of electrolysis. For example, we have a quantity of distilled water, which water is heated by the process of electrolysis, just as we charge a battery with a positive and negative pole and thus electrolysis is created. The gases created by the heat of water are hydrogen, which is a gas and is a fuel. It is something that is 100% explosive, but that does not mean that it should scare us and that it is something dangerous. It is a very old technology, as it is since 1839 that the use of hydrogen has started”.
Regarding the gas station that is coming to open its doors in Cyprus, it will supply the green hydrogen, which will be for use in heavy vehicles essentially and not in passenger vehicles. “There are four kinds of hydrogen. Green hydrogen, which comes from renewable energy sources such as wind power and photovoltaics. Also, it is gray hydrogen, which is extracted from natural gas, by steaming and by some chemical processes. It's also blue hydrogen, which is produced from natural gas, which has some carbon dioxide emissions, which we can store, as well as green hydrogen. Also, it's turquoise hydrogen, which is low-carbon hydrogen and is the most distant of all.”
Today, in Europe, America and Asia, hydrogen vehicles are in circulation, but in Cyprus we still do not have a hydrogen vehicle, but with the new year they are expected to be introduced. “It's an electric car essentially, which instead of charging and paying electricity and burning fuel oil and producing emissions to charge our vehicles, we have the hydrogen station and we just fill our vehicle, with zero emissions. The only thing a hydrogen vehicle emits is water from the exhaust, and with five liters, for example, we have around 800 kilometers of autonomy in the vehicle”.
The most important fact, which was touched upon by Mr. Kapetanios, is the Law on the promotion and development of alternative fuel infrastructures, which was passed by the Parliament in 2017. “The Law covers alternative fuels, so that we can have essentially electricity, hydrogen, biofuels, synthetic fuels, natural gas and LPG. That's why, as the Legislation states, by the end of 2025 we must have sufficient points to supply all types of vehicles with fuel that will be on the roads”.
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