On May 10, 2024, Bulgaria celebrated a significant step towards green mobility with the inauguration of its first hydrogen charging station. Led by the Competence Center "HITMOBIL," this new facility could revolutionise the country's green transportation landscape.
- 13 May 2024
Funded through the Operational Programme "Science and Education for Smart Growth" 2014-2020 and the European Fund for Regional Development (ERDF), the station is a testament to Bulgaria's commitment to sustainable development. Situated within the "Integrated Energy Systems" field laboratory of the Competence Centre in Sofia, the station signifies the inception of hydrogen electric mobility in the country.
With an investment exceeding BGN 20 million (equivalent to EUR 10 million), the Competence Centre has established six state-of-the-art laboratories. Among these, four are dedicated to industrial scientific research, while two serve as hubs for experimental development, equipped with facilities for field tests and demonstrations.
The ERDF has invested over BGN 400 million(EUR 200 million) under the Operational Programme "Science and Education for Intelligent Growth" 2014-2020. This funding facilitated the establishment of six centers of excellence and ten centers of competence, which will continue to be supported under the 21-27 programming period under the Programme for Research, Innovation, and Digitalization for Smart Transformation.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Academic Julian Revalski, Chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Professor Georgi Angelov, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth, and Dimitar Nedyalkov, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications.
At its core, the "HITMOBIL" project aims to construct a comprehensive national and regional infrastructure conducive to the development, testing, optimization, and industrial integration of modern mobility and energy storage systems. Partnering with seven institutes of BAS, Neofit Rilski University of Applied Sciences, and the Association "BG H2 Society," the project epitomizes collaborative innovation towards a greener, more sustainable future.
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More about the CC "HITMOBIL" project