The government is providing 125 million for hydrogen, these are the plans

The government will provide 125 million euros to promote hydrogen over the next four years. The money flows into various plans.

Although the Netherlands is already very friendly to electric cars, hydrogen drivers still have a hard time. There are only three hydrogen filling stations in our country: in Arnhem, Helmond and Rhoon. Much less than in Germany, for example.

The plans

The government therefore sees a future in hydrogen and wants to have several thousand hydrogen vehicles on Dutch roads in the next four years. In the future, hydrogen will be used primarily in freight transport and fully electric drives are becoming increasingly popular in cars.

125 million euros for hydrogen

Where does the 125 million euros go? The money comes partly from a climate fund and is mainly invested in forty hydrogen filling stations in the Netherlands. From March 2024, transport companies can apply for a subsidy for the (partial) switch to hydrogen.

The application must include at least one station and enough vehicles to make it viable. In practice there are 10 to 15 vehicles.

This “ends the chicken-and-egg discussion about whether you should have gas stations first in order to be able to refuel, or cars first in order to then be able to build a profitable gas station,” says the Infrastructure Ministry.