Air Liquide and Trillium Energy Solutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pursue the development of the heavy-duty hydrogen fuelling market in the US.

It will look at the deployment of an “extensive” hydrogen retail network, starting with hydrogen stations along a strategic trucking route.

The firms says that the initiative intends to bolster truck OEMs’ efforts to accelerate vehicle deployments and assist fleet operators in transitioning to low-carbon and zero-emission vehicles.

The partnership hopes to initially support the development of 150 tons of hydrogen production per day, and the refuelling infrastructure capable of supplying more than 2,000 heavy-duty vehicles.

Katie Ellet, President, Hydrogen Energy and Mobility, North America, said: “Air Liquide is proud to join forces with Trillium in decarbonising the mobility market. By combining our expertise and resources, we are poised to drive the widespread adoption of hydrogen as a scalable solution in decarbonizing transportation, particularly in the heavy-duty sector.”

Ryan Erickson, VP of Trillium Energy Solutions, said: “Trillium is a leading provider of heavy-duty hydrogen fuelling stations and through our collaboration with Air Liquide we can make a significant stride towards accelerating the development of hydrogen infrastructure across the U.S.”

As of 2023, there were 59 hydrogen retail stations in the US. The majority were concentrated in the state of California, which has 52 retail hydrogen fuelling stations open to the public. These stations in California are serving over 8,000 FCEVs, the US Department of Energy says.

There were an additional 45 retail hydrogen stations that were in various stages of construction and planning in California.