The Europa trucks are based on Mercedes Actros diesel trucks and are designed with long-distance transport requirements in mind. The hydrogen trucks can be operated similarly to the diesel variants. They offer more than 700km range as a 50T combination, have a sleeper cab on board and offer the ability to tow 45ft containers on standard ISO trailers.
Solving the chicken and egg problem together
The Dutch SWiM grant, aimed at solving the ‘chicken and egg problem’ in the hydrogen sector, supports the development of vehicles and refuelling stations by subsidising them together. The goal is to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen in heavy transport. In 2024, the scheme had an available budget of €29 million. For 2025, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has announced a further increase in the subsidy ceiling to 40 million euros.
Fountain Fuel, the lead partner of one of the consortia, stresses the importance of this collaboration. “Hydrogen will play an important role in the future of heavy transport, but to get there, developing supply and demand simultaneously is essential,” said Stephan Bredewold, director at Fountain Fuel. “With the support of the SWiM scheme, together we are accelerating the transition to a sustainable mobility system.”
Jonas Brendelberger, co-founder of zepp.solutions, added: “We are happy to play a significant role in this transition with our Europa trucks. Each vehicle replaces a polluting diesel engine and thus avoids hundreds of tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year.”
Significant opportunity for transporters
Transporters and logistics companies looking to make their fleets more sustainable are invited to engage with zepp.solutions. “The SWiM grant and our cooperation with strong partners such as TEAL, Green Planet Pesse and Fountain Fuel give transport companies the opportunity to seriously consider hydrogen,” Brendelberger said. “We are ready to realise emission-free logistics together.”
