A hydrogen station is a storage or filling station for hydrogen fuel.[1] The hydrogen is dispensed by weight.[2][3] There are two filling pressures in common use: H70 or 700 bar, and the older standard H35 or 350 bar.[4] As of 2021[update], around 550 filling stations were available worldwide.[4]
Hydrogen fueling stations can be divided into off-site stations, where hydrogen is delivered by truck or pipeline, and on-site stations that produce and compress hydrogen for the vehicles.[5][6]
|
Main article: Hydrogen highway |
A hydrogen highway is a chain of hydrogen-equipped filling stations and other infrastructure along a road or highway.
Home hydrogen fueling stations are available to consumers.[7] A model that can produce 12 kilograms of hydrogen per day sells for $325,000.[8]
Solar powered water electrolysing hydrogen home stations are composed of solar cells, power converter, water purifier, electrolyzer, piping, hydrogen purifier,[9] oxygen purifier, compressor,[10] pressure vessels[11] and a hydrogen outlet.[12]
As of 2019,[update] 98% of hydrogen is produced by steam methane reforming, which emits carbon dioxide.[13] The bulk of hydrogen is also transported to fueling stations in trucks, so pollution is also emitted in its transportation.[5]
Hydrogen fuel is hazardous because of its low ignition energy, high combustion energy, and because it easily leaks from tanks.[14] Explosions at hydrogen filling stations have been reported.[15]
Hydrogen fuelling stations generally receive deliveries by truck from hydrogen suppliers. An interruption at a hydrogen supply facility can shut down multiple hydrogen fuelling stations due to an interruption of the supply of hydrogen.[16]
|
See also: Hydrogen fuel |
There are far fewer Hydrogen filling stations than gasoline fuel stations, which in the US alone numbered 168,000 in 2004.[17] Replacing the US gasoline infrastructure with hydrogen fuel infrastructure is estimated to cost a half trillion U.S. dollars.[18] A hydrogen fueling station costs between $1 million and $4 million to build.[19] In comparison, battery electric vehicles can charge at home or at public chargers. As of 2023, there are more than 60,000 public charging stations in the United States, with more than 160,000 outlets.[20] A public Level 2 charger, which comprise the majority of public chargers in the US, costs about $2,000, and DC fast chargers, of which there are more than 30,000 in the U.S.,[20] generally cost between $100,000 and $250,000,[21] although Tesla superchargers are estimated to cost approximately $43,000.[22]
During refueling, the flow of cold hydrogen can cause frost to form on the dispenser nozzle, sometimes leading to the nozzle becoming frozen to the vehicle being refueled.[23]
Consulting firm Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik tracks global hydrogen filling stations and publishes a map.[24]
In 2019, there were 178 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[25]
As of May 2023[update], there are 167 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation, and there are projected to be 181 locations by the end of this fiscal year.[26][27]
Japan built hydrogen filling stations under the JHFC project from 2002 to 2010 to test various technologies of hydrogen generation.[28] By the end of 2012 there were 17 hydrogen stations.[29] In 2021, there were 137 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[4]
By the end of 2020, China had built 118 hydrogen refueling stations.[30]
In 2019, there were 33 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[25][31]
As of 2018,[update] approximately 18,000 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) had been produced in Korea (domestic demand: 9,000 vehicles).[32]
In 2019, there were 177 stations in Europe.[25][33][34]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 84 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 5 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 3 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there was one publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there are 4 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 6 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33] Everfuel, the only operator of hydrogen stations in Denmark, announced in 2023 that it is closing all of its public hydrogen stations in the country.[35][36]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 2 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2021,[update] there were 2 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation, both in the Oslo area.[37] Since the explosion at the hydrogen filling station in Sandvika in June 2019, the sale of hydrogen cars in Norway has halted.[38] In 2023, Everfuel announced that it is closing its two public hydrogen stations in Norway and cancelling the opening of a third.[35]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 4 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 3 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation.[33]
As of June 2020,[update] there were 11 publicly available hydrogen fuel stations in operation,[33] but as of 2023, the number decreased to 5.[39]
In 2011 the first public hydrogen station opened in Swindon.[40] In 2014 the London Hatton Cross station opened.[41] In 2015, the London Hydrogen Network Expansion project opened the first supermarket-located hydrogen refuelling station at Sainsbury's in Hendon.[42] As of 2015, there were two publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations in Aberdeen.[43]
In 2022, Shell closed its three hydrogen stations in the UK.[44]
As of July 2023, there were 10 fueling stations in Canada, 9 of which were open to the public:
As of December 2023[update], there were 58 publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations in the US, 57 of which were located in California, with one in Hawaii.[20]
In March 2021, the first Australian publicly available hydrogen fuel station opened in Canberra operated by ActewAGL.[60]
