With their existing filling stations, the companies say they can create a national hydrogen fuelling network. Keystone

Seven Swiss companies including retail giants Migros and Coop have formed an association to create a national network of filling stations for hydrogen powered vehicles.

This content was published on May 18, 2018 - 18:39

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Migros, Migrol, Agrola and Fenaco say they also plan to fuel their own vehicles with hydrogen by 2023. "Refuelling only takes a few minutes and autonomy can now be as much as 600 kilometres or more," said the companies in a press release on Friday. In addition, rather than emitting exhaust fumes, hydrogen powered vehicles emit steam.

In October 2016, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) installed the nation’s first hydrogen fuelling station for fuel cell cars at their research campus in Dübendorf, canton Zurich. A month later Coop inaugurated the first public hydrogen fuelling station in Hunzenschwil, canton Aargau.

+ Read more about the EMPA hydrogen fuelling station.

Together the seven companies have more than 1,500 service stations and own 1,700 heavy vehicles. They say that together they can develop a nationwide hydrogen fuelling infrastructure.

A fleet of ten lorries is enough to make a hydrogen fuelling station viable, according to the press release. Private individuals will also have access.

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