BeeZero is gas company Linde’s new carsharing offer to anyone interested in renting a fuel cell car for a short trip on the road. Linde Hydrogen Concepts, the subsidiary that the technology business founded for this purpose, has acquired a total of 50 Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell for its first-ever rental location in Munich, Germany. Christian Bruch, Linde board member, said during the presentation of the first BeeZero fleet vehicle in April 2016: “We are confident that operating a fleet of fuel cell cars will provide us with valuable insights to help enhance our hydrogen technologies and further the expansion of an H2 infrastructure.”
Linde also announced that “unless the customer chooses otherwise, the cars will be refueled by BeeZero employees. The hydrogen fuel is sourced exclusively from sustainable production processes, making it completely carbon neutral.” Hyundai said that the 50 fuel cell cars had been handed over to BeeZero on June 9, 2016.
The Munich-based company showcased both their new idea as well as the car, wrapped in matte lacquer, during the H2Mobility Conference in Berlin and the industrial trade show in Hanover. During the Hanover trade show in 2016, one attendee remarked: “Linde collaborating with Hyundai – that’s not a great sign.” It’s exactly how Linde’s collaboration should be viewed: as a signal to the automotive industry that gas companies are no longer willing to wait until German carmakers finally offer fuel cell vehicles. Instead, Linde has run an aggressive marketing campaign with the tagline: “This time, you can believe the hype.”