HZwo e. V.

HZwo e. V. is the German hydrogen and fuel cell industry association with around 150 members from Europe, the UK, the USA and Australia. The Cluster of Excellence (ECEI) covers the entire value chain, from fuel cell and electrolyser producers to automotive manufacturers and suppliers, machine and plant manufacturers, gas network operators, universities and research institutions.

Launched in 2018 as innovation cluster "HZwo - Drive for Saxony" with 7 members and the aim was and still is to bring together partners and activities in the field of hydrogen under one roof and establishing and guiding a value creation network for fuel cell-based mobility through to the provision and production of hydrogen. To date, the participating companies are empowered by the cluster to master the transition from suppliers and component manufacturers of the fossil energy utilisation chain to electric and fuel cell vehicles with the necessary transformation of the energy system and thus maintain and expand their competitiveness.

An important part of the association's work is the initiation and coordination of joint R&D projects. Around 40 of these have been initiated and realised by the HZwo to date, in some cases with external partners. Many of these projects are based on the "Open Source Stack" project platform developed jointly with the Chair of Alternative Vehicle Drives at Chemnitz University of Technology.

HZwo also develops and organises target group-specific networking, specialist and professional training events, prepares studies and provides advice on hydrogen technologies. With the "FC³ Fuel Cell Conference Chemnitz", for example, HZwo has established an international conference for hydrogen vehicle drives that brings together experts from the automotive industry and scientists to exchange ideas. In internationally recognised event formats such as hy-fcell, Hyvolution or the Hydrogen Days Prague, HZwo acts as a strategic partner for network expansion and consolidation.

In addition, HZwo heads the "HIC Hydrogen and Mobility Innovation Center" as the "National Innovation and Technology Centre for Hydrogen Technologies (ITZ)". The HIC will create a high-performance research, development and testing environment for hydrogen technologies in Chemnitz in order to accelerate the market ramp-up and to support start-ups, SMEs and suppliers in the research and development of new products for the future market in line with demand. This makes the HIC a driving force behind the transformation process in the supplier industry.

With cH2ance, HZwo is also the responsible body for one of the BMWK's 11 transformation hubs. The aim of this hub is to support the automotive industry in adapting to new technologies, promote innovation and research, facilitate knowledge transfer and networking, offer training and further education and help with the market launch of new products. These measures aim to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the German automotive industry

Since 2023, HZwo e. V. has also been part of the Saxon Hydrogen Competence Centre KH2 assigned by the Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture and the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport. KH2 is the central point of contact for citizens, local authorities, the media, business, politics and science for questions relating to hydrogen production, transport, storage and use. KH2 is also responsible for advice on funding.