TotalEnergies [TTE:US] and Air Liquide [AI:FP], two French multinational energy and petroleum companies, have announced the launch of a 50-50 joint venture (JV) named TEAL Mobility to develop a network of hydrogen stations across major European corridors, as reported by ESG Today on February 1. The JV plans to deploy more than 100 hydrogen stations under the TotalEnergies Brand on major European roads in the coming years. Starting from 2024, it will operate about 20 stations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany. The JV will leverage TotalEnergies’ expertise in operating and managing station networks and distributing energies to BtoB customers, alongside Air Liquide’s technologies and hydrogen value chain capabilities. The partnership would help enhance access to hydrogen and promote its use in freight transport, aiming for the decarbonization of road transportation in Europe.

The two energy giants target the growing demand for hydrogen refueling in Europe’s road transport sector. In January, EU lawmakers reached a provisional agreement on new carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) entering the EU market by 2030. The agreement requires manufacturers to reduce the average emissions of their new trucks by 45% by 2030, 65% by 2035, and 90% by 2040 from 2019 levels, while expanding the regulatory scope to almost all HDVs. The new standards, if applied, are poised to significantly raise the share of zero and low-emission vehicles in the market, thus expanding the adoption of hydrogen fuel.

Sources：

https://www.esgtoday.com/totalenergies-air-liquide-create-new-jv-to-launch-a-hydrogen-station-network-for-heavy-duty-trucks/

https://totalenergies.com/media/news/press-releases/totalenergies-and-air-liquide-join-forces-develop-network-over-100

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-council-parliament-agree-90-co2-emissions-cut-by-2040-trucks-2024-01-18/#:~:text=BRUSSELS%2C%20Jan%2018%20(Reuters),tons%20and%20coaches%20by%202040

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_763