Holthausen Clean Technology Wins Hydrogen Frontrunner Award at H2A Amsterdam

Holthausen Recognised for Persistent Commitment to Hydrogen

Dutch company Holthausen Clean Technology has received the Hydrogen Frontrunner Award from NLHydrogen (Nederland Waterstofland) at the annual H2A event in Amsterdam. For many in the room — and for Holthausen itself — the award came as a welcome surprise: it was presented without prior announcement.

The award recognises organisations that have played a demonstrable leadership role in the development of hydrogen as a zero-emission energy carrier in the Netherlands. Holthausen qualifies on precisely that dimension: rather than waiting for the market to mature, the company helped build it.

From Hesla to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

Holthausen Clean Technology was founded in 2011 as part of the Holthausen Group, a family business from Hoogezand with over eighty years of experience in the industrial gases sector. Under the leadership of Carl and Max Holthausen, the company grew into a specialist in hydrogen-electric drivetrain systems for commercial vehicles — from trucks and vans to street sweepers and buses.

The company gained international attention with the Hesla: a Tesla converted to run on hydrogen, achieving a range of over one thousand kilometres. The project demonstrated that hydrogen and electric mobility are not opponents, but complementary technologies.

Infrastructure: production, storage and distribution

Holthausen did not stop at vehicles. Through Holthausen Energy Points, the company built a network of hydrogen refuelling stations across the Netherlands, with locations in Amsterdam (Westpoort), Groningen and Oosterwolde. At several of these stations, green hydrogen is produced on-site via electrolysis using solar power. The hydrogen supplied is RFNBO-certified — fully renewable by origin.

The company now operates six trailer-filling points for certified green hydrogen, placing it among the larger hydrogen infrastructure operators in the Netherlands.

H2A: Amsterdam as hydrogen hub

The Frontrunner Award was presented at the annual H2A event, an initiative of H2 Amsterdam and Nederland Waterstofland, which brings together companies, municipalities, port authorities and knowledge institutions collaborating to position Amsterdam as Europe's hydrogen gateway. Holthausen has been an active partner of this initiative for some time and opened a hydrogen station in Amsterdam's Westpoort harbour area in 2023.

Persistence pays off

The award is more than a symbolic gesture. It acknowledges that consistently investing in a technology long considered "premature" ultimately bears fruit. While others waited, Holthausen built: installations, refuelling stations, vehicles, and expertise.

Sources:

• LinkedIn post Mark Oosterveer (Gasunie), confirmed via reactions from Geert Jan Telkamp
• LinkedIn post Ferdi Hendriks (Gemeente Groningen) — direct mention of Waterstofkoplopers Award NLHydrogen
• H2 Amsterdam – Holthausen Energy Points partner profile (h2amsterdam.com)
• Nederland Waterstofland – H2A Symposium 2026 announcement (nederlandwaterstofland.nl)
• H2 Rijders – Holthausen scales up: six filling points for certified green hydrogen (h2rijders.nl)