Hydrogen offers a higher energy density in road freight transport than lithium-ion batteries and enables faster refueling. However, this is offset by high costs, low infrastructure density and planning uncertainties. Competitive prices are crucial for logistics companies, and the hydrogen supply must be seamlessly integrated into processes such as route planning. Currently, few filling stations and low capacities often require time-consuming and costly detours. At the same time, few hydrogen trucks lead to high prices at filling stations. Efficient data exchange between IT systems could alleviate these problems, but is usually only possible with expensive, individual tools.

This is precisely where the “HyConnect” research project comes in. The reservation and booking platform being developed as part of the project will combine data on the hydrogen requirements of truck fleet operators with information on the availability of hydrogen from filling station operators. This should enable precise planning, prevent supply bottlenecks and increase the competitiveness of hydrogen compared to diesel. In the long term, the platform should increase the market share of hydrogen trucks and stimulate investment in infrastructure by minimizing the risks for all parties involved. To this end, the project partners are developing innovative solutions for pricing hydrogen and for an AI-based universal data interface.

First, the “HyConnect” team is developing a dynamic, legally compliant hydrogen pricing mechanism and subjecting it to empirical testing. To this end, the partners are investigating price elasticity and the effect on filling station selection, predictability and cost transparency. Furthermore, a universal data interface will be specified, implemented as a prototype and subsequently evaluated. Based on this, the capacity management and reservation platform will be designed, which will go into pilot operation in the course of the project. Finally, the platform will be evaluated in terms of its suitability for everyday use.