A green hydrogen refuelling network has been launched to support zero emissions vehicles – primarily heavy transport – in New Zealand.

Hiringa Refuelling New Zealand (HRNZ) is Australasia’s first hydrogen refuelling network and has been established by Hiringa Energy, together with its investors and partners, to propel New Zealand towards its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The network has been established in partnership with fuel supplier, Waitomo Group and TR Group, Australasia’s largest heavy vehicle fleet owner.

The launch sees three strategically located stations opening in Wiri, Te Rapa, and Palmerston North. A fourth station in Tauranga is progressing as an integral part of the new Tauriko SH29 roading infrastructure.

Together, the green energy network is positioned to service 95% of the heavy freight routes across the North Island including the “Golden Triangle” of freight movement (between Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga).

With the opening of the network, hydrogen-powered trucks can go into commercial operation enabling heavy transport to begin its transition to zero-emission alternatives. The refuelling stations are powered by renewable energy while state-of-the-art technology enables hydrogen-powered trucks and buses to refuel in 10-20 minutes.

“Heavy transport plays a vital role in our economy, but it’s also a significant contributor to our national emissions,” says Andrew Clennett, Chief Executive Officer of Hiringa.

“As a first-of-its-kind across Australasia and one of the first networks set up globally to service heavy transport, the initiative addresses this major challenge by providing operators with the infrastructure they need to switch to zero-emission transport in an efficient, scalable and commercially viable manner.” 

Network infrastructure establishment has received support from the New Zealand Government via a $16M loan, growth capital from key investors including Sir Stephen Tindall’s fund K1W1, and international investment from Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Green Impact Partners alongside Hiringa Energy.  

Brendan King, Group General Manager, TR Group Ltd says the network is a ground-breaking initiative to bring fuel cell truck technology to the NZ market. 

“The technology unlocks a clean alternative for hard-to-abate sectors that are difficult to electrify, where hydrogen meets the intense demands of handling long distances and heavy loads,” King says.

 “This project has been enabled via forward thinking companies such as NZ Post with many more set to come on board. Their early adoption and willingness to trial and introduce zero emission technologies to their fleet is highly commendable as without this leadership, our industry doesn’t get the learnings and proof points to move forward at scale.” 

Among the first trucks to be refuelled at the Wiri site is the NZ Post-operated Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell truck. It has been deployed on commercial operations since 2023, having completed more than 70,000kms, eliminating the need for an estimated 29,700 litres of diesel which represents 80 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and purifying the air around the vehicle at the same time.  

David Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at NZ Post says that while it has been a success seeing their hydrogen truck demonstrating this technology and travelling over 350kms a day (using slower mobile refuelling) having the heavy-duty refuelling network in place will be instrumental in enabling NZ Post to use this hydrogen truck on longer distances.

“With rapid refuelling now available this will allow us to operate the hydrogen truck seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with zero emissions. We’re thrilled to see this national network come together,” says Walsh.

The network will also set the stage to provide a fast and reliable source of hydrogen to seed multiple other applications including marine, construction, materials handling, stationary power and most notably, aviation.