German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association

What German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association does

The Deutscher Wasserstoff-Verband (DWV) e.V. is Germany's core national membership association for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry, founded in 1996 and headquartered at Robert-Koch-Platz 4, Berlin. The association is registered as a non-profit (gemeinnützig) under German law and is officially recognized in both the German Lobby Register (R002003) and the EU Transparency Register (462906838391-79). Its membership spans more than 100 organizations — including Air Liquide, Air Products, RWE, E.ON Hydrogen, Siemens Energy, BMW, Daimler Truck, Toyota, Hyundai, IVECO, Salzgitter, Linde, thyssenkrupp nucera, Bosch, DLR, and Fraunhofer — collectively representing over 1.5 million jobs nationwide.

DWV's core offering is not a commercial product but an advocacy and coordination platform organized around four specialized committees (H2 Production, H2 Infrastructure, H2 Demand, H2 Mobility) plus the HyMobility expert commission. Members receive political representation, regulatory input, access to exclusive events (H2 Business Talks, Parliamentary Evening), the DWV-Mitteilungen member magazine, and event newsletters. Recent advocacy activity in 2026 covers the Strom-Versorgungssicherheits- und Kapazitätsgesetz (StromVKG), the Grüngasquote design, and the reconstituted National Hydrogenrat.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through annual membership dues tiered by member type and turnover: corporate members pay €2,500–€35,000/year (peaking at >€1B turnover), trade associations pay €50,000/year, financial institutions and non-trade associations pay €10,000/year, universities and institutes pay €500/year, and schools pay €225/year. Reciprocal memberships are free. The fee schedule was last updated by the General Assembly on 26 October 2023. Leadership consists of CEO Andreas Kuhlmann (Vorstandsvorsitzender) and Managing Director Friederike Lassen (Vorständin).

Name

German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association

Legal name

Deutscher Wasserstoff-Verband (DWV) e.V.

Website

https://dwv-info.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Deutscher Wasserstoff-Verband (DWV) is Germany's core non-profit membership association for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry, founded 1996 and headquartered in Berlin. It represents over 100 member organizations — spanning energy, automotive, industrial gases, steel, and research — collectively covering more than 1.5 million jobs, and advocates for hydrogen market framework conditions through four specialized committees and direct lobbying of German and EU institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydrogen (Industrial & Mobility) (IMAEACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fuel Cell Distributed Generation (Hydrogen/Natural Gas SOFC/PEM) (EUACALAK)

Keywords

• Hydrogen industry association
• Fuel cell advocacy
• Energy policy lobbying
• Industry committee membership
• Hydrogen market development

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: DWV generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees, which are tiered by company turnover. Corporate members pay between €2,500 and €35,000 per year depending on revenue size. Trade associations pay €50,000, educational institutions pay €500, and schools pay €225. Reciprocal memberships are free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The DWV is a registered German industry association that represents the interests of the hydrogen and fuel cell sector. It offers paid membership tiers (corporate, non-corporate/associations, individual experts), runs four technical committees spanning the hydrogen value chain, operates the HyMobility Expert Commission, and provides structured policy advocacy toward German federal and EU institutions. It also publishes industry materials and the DWV yearbook / magazine for its members.

Product overview

The German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV) is a membership-based industry association rather than a commercial product company. DWV operates as a platform offering its members participation in four specialized committees (H2 Production, H2 Infrastructure, H2 Demand, H2 Mobility), an expert commission (HyMobility), and member publications (DWV-Mitteilungen) and newsletters. The association focuses on advocacy, policy shaping, and market development for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry in Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DWV Corporate Membership Paid annual membership tier for corporate entities operating across the hydrogen and fuel cell value chain (automotive, energy, industrial gas, technology). Annual dues are scaled by company turnover, and members gain access to committees, lobbying representation, networking events, and the DWV magazine and yearbook.
• DWV Non-Corporate / Association Membership Paid annual membership for non-corporate members such as other industry associations and trade bodies. Includes access to DWV events, publications and committee activities aligned with the hydrogen and fuel cell agenda.
• DWV Individual Expert / Associate Membership Paid individual-level membership for experts, academics, consultants and other individuals associated with the hydrogen and fuel cell sector. Provides access to association information, events and publications.
• DWV Hydrogen Production Committee (H2 Production) A standing technical committee of the DWV focused on hydrogen production topics for member companies. Provides industry coordination, position papers, and member expertise networks within the DWV structure.
• DWV Hydrogen Infrastructure Committee (H2 Infrastructure) A standing technical committee of the DWV focused on hydrogen infrastructure topics (distribution, storage, refueling networks) for member companies. Provides industry coordination and member expertise networks within the DWV structure.
• DWV Hydrogen Demand Committee (H2 Demand) A standing technical committee of the DWV focused on hydrogen demand-side topics for member companies. Provides industry coordination and member expertise networks within the DWV structure.
• DWV Hydrogen Mobility Committee (H2 Mobility) A standing technical committee of the DWV focused on hydrogen mobility topics for member companies. Provides industry coordination and member expertise networks within the DWV structure.
• HyMobility Expert Commission A DWV expert commission focused on hydrogen and fuel cell transport applications, coordinating expertise and positions among member companies and stakeholders in the mobility sector.
• DWV Industry Advocacy and Lobbying Services Formal industry advocacy and lobbying services delivered by the DWV on behalf of members, with formal registration in the German Lobby Register and the EU Transparency Register. Activities include political engagement with German federal ministries and EU institutions on hydrogen and fuel cell policy.
• DWV Industry Publications (Magazine / Annual Report / Yearbook) Member-facing industry publications from the DWV, including the DWV magazine, annual report and yearbook, providing market and policy information to members of the hydrogen and fuel cell industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.5 million jobs represented through member companies

Named customers25 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major, international, regional and reciprocal.

• Hydrogen Technology World Expo 2026flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2026DWV and the Hydrogen Technology World Expo 2026 are jointly organizing the Global Hydrogen Associations Meeting in Hamburg on 20 October 2026 — the first such global gathering of hydrogen associations.
• Hydrogen EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHydrogen Europe is a key European partnership. DWV's CEO Andreas Kuhlmann was elected to the Board of Directors of Hydrogen Europe in June 2026 at the General Assembly in Brussels. This represents DWV's most senior-level international integration.
• Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWV cooperates with the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), a European public-private partnership supporting FCH technology research and deployment.
• Clean Energy Partnership (CEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWV cooperates with the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), a European hydrogen pilot project partnership focused on demonstrating hydrogen as an energy carrier.
• Deutsche Messe AGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWV cooperates with Deutsche Messe AG, a leading trade fair organizer. The two co-organize events including the Global Hydrogen Associations Meeting in Hamburg on 20 October 2026.
• H2KoreainternationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWV cooperates with H2Korea, the Korean hydrogen association, for international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• f-cell StuttgartregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerDWV cooperates with f-cell Stuttgart, a regional hydrogen and fuel cell event and initiative based in Stuttgart, Germany.
• H2Berlin e.V.reciprocalOthersReciprocal membership relationship with H2Berlin, the Berlin hydrogen initiative.
• Bundesverband Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung e.V. (B.KWK)reciprocalOthersReciprocal membership relationship with B.KWK, the German Combined Heat and Power Association.
• AquaVentus Förderverein e.V.reciprocalOthersReciprocal membership relationship with AquaVentus, a German offshore hydrogen initiative.
• Haus der Technik e.V.reciprocalOthersReciprocal membership relationship with Haus der Technik, a German technical education institution.
• Forum für Zukunftsenergien e.V.reciprocalOthersReciprocal membership relationship with Forum für Zukunftsenergien, a German future energies forum.
• Technische Akademie Esslingen e.V.reciprocalOthersReciprocal membership relationship with Technische Akademie Esslingen, a German technical academy.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Nationaler Wasserstoffrat (National Hydrogen Council of Germany): Government-appointed advisory body to the German federal government on hydrogen policy. Not a commercial peer, but the most influential adjacent stakeholder shaping the same framework conditions DWV lobbies on.

Broad incumbents

• BDEW Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft: German energy and water industry association representing utilities (including several DWV members such as E.ON and RWE). Functions as a broader-incumbent peer where hydrogen is one of many portfolio topics.
• Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (BDI): Germany's largest industry federation, covering industrial policy broadly including hydrogen. A generalist incumbent that competes with DWV for political oxygen on hydrogen framework conditions while representing a much wider industrial base.
• VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau): German engineering federation whose members include electrolyser and fuel cell equipment manufacturers (e.g. Bosch, Siemens Energy). Represents a broader industry constituency with overlapping hydrogen advocacy.
• Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energien (BEE): German renewable energy federation. Competes with DWV on positioning hydrogen within the broader decarbonisation debate and on lobbying the Bundestag and federal ministries.

Direct peers

• Hydrogen Council: Global CEO-led hydrogen initiative with many of the same large corporate members (BMW, Daimler, Toyota, Linde, Air Liquide, Shell). Functions as an industry advocacy and thought-leadership platform directly comparable to DWV's role.
• Hydrogen Europe: The Brussels-based European hydrogen industry association. Operates as a trade body with overlapping membership across European hydrogen producers, OEMs, and utilities; DWV's CEO now sits on its board, making it the closest institutional peer.
• Clean Hydrogen Partnership (formerly FCH JU): EU public-private partnership funding hydrogen R&D. DWV is already a cooperation partner of FCH JU; the bodies play complementary roles in the European hydrogen ecosystem and compete for member attention and policy influence.
• Forum für Zukunftsenergien e.V. German 'future energies' forum and existing DWV reciprocal membership partner. Engages in cross-technology energy policy debate with significant overlap in hydrogen framework advocacy.

Regional players

• H2Korea: Korean national hydrogen industry association and existing DWV cooperation partner. Operates the same trade-association model in Korea, serving as the closest regional peer with comparable product/membership structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubebit.ly/2rvoDbs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dwv-h2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association