GH2-Baggage truck test at Hamburg Airport

Hamburg Airport is testing a hydrogen baggage tractor in real operation. The new prototype is based on an existing model powered by natural gas (Mulag 4CNG) and has been converted to run on hydrogen by HTM Hydro Technology Motors. The company Ryze Power provides the required hydrogen tank infrastructure directly at the airport via a mobile refueling unit. The test phase for the prototype will last six to nine months. Technical functionality, consumption values and the economic feasibility of a broader application will be investigated. The tests are deliberately carried out during the particularly busy summer months in order to cover the widest possible range of applications. Julian Klaaßen, who leads the BSR HyAirport project from Hamburg Airport, emphasizes: “With this test, we are closing the gap between theory and practice. The conversion of existing vehicles offers a realistic and scalable way of gradually making our ground services CO₂-free – a key component of our climate strategy.

As part of the BSR HyAirport project, two extensive studies have just been published that comprehensively examine the potential of hydrogen in ground operations – particularly in terms of infrastructure, cost-effectiveness and scalability. One finding of the studies is that hydrogen offers advantages over battery-electric solutions, especially for vehicles with high energy requirements, such as baggage tractors or winter service machines, for example due to short refueling times and constant performance at low temperatures. The pilot in Hamburg is intended to evaluate this result in practice.

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