Slovakia Clean Energy Hydrogen in Automotive Industry

The Slovak Ministry of Economy has actively promoted hydrogen as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and increase the competitiveness of the Slovak economy.
The National Hydrogen Strategy, which defines the strategic role of the state in the use of hydrogen technologies, resulted in a “Prepared for the Future” action plan. It defines specific tasks for State administrative bodies, proposes a legislative framework and financial conditions for the implementation of hydrogen technologies to support decarbonization of the economy and specifically the energy, industrial processes, transport, and mobility sectors. Allocation of USD 1.04 billion from state budget and EU funds supported by additional USD 1.57 billion from the private sector should ensure 9,000 hydrogen vehicles and 300 hydrogen buses to drive Slovak roads by 2030.

Hydrogen vehicles are largely absent in Slovakia with only one hydrogen car (a single Toyota Mirai owned and operated by a state entity) and one prototype bus operating.  Hydrogen cars will likely receive state subsidies in the future, similar to subsidies for plug-in hybrids and electric cars. The prototype of a hydrogen bus by the company Rosero P, designed in cooperation with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Technical University of Kosice, was introduced in August 2021. Rosero P is a Slovak producer of midi bus and microbus with up to 36 seats using, built on Iveco Daily and Mercedes Benz Vario chassis. 

As of February 2022, Slovakia has one permanent hydrogen filling station with a filling pressure of 200 bar.  Located in Bratislava, it was built by private sector companies Messer Tatragas and Slovnaft. The State owns and operates a mobile hydrogen filling station with a filling pressure of 350 bar. 
Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency (SIEA) as a contributory organization established by the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic unsuccessfully tendered in 2022 two refueling stations for hydrogen vehicles in Trencin and Kosice regions with a filling pressure of at least 350 bars and a mobile hydrogen filling station. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Slovakia will need ten mobile hydrogen filling stations by 2030.

Slovnaft, Slovakia’s monopoly refinery, indicated to media that it would investigate building an intermodular hydrogen filling station by the first half of the year 2023. The refinery already produces hydrogen and wants to launch mass production in the future to refuel hydrogen into ships sailing on the Danube either for propulsion or further transport.

BCF ENERGY plans to start production and sale of green hydrogen in 2023 to 2024. Green hydrogen will be produced in factories located in Modry Kamen, Pezinok, Malacky and Trencin with daily production estimated at 4,000 kg. The hydrogen will be supplied to 40 hydrogen filling stations into Benzinol Slovakia network.

The focus on hydrogen creates new potential opportunities for US firms in the Slovak market in areas such as consulting, engineering, and related technologies, R&D including.
For more information, please email to office.bratislava@trade.gov .