Hawaii will soon launch the highest productive fueling station

Construction of the most productive hydrogen fueling station ever to come to Hawaii will begin shortly.

As Proton OnSite, formerly known as Proton Energy Systems, finalizes their contract with the Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). The station will be the first of its kind that has an onsite hydrogen production system, allowing it to essentially never run out of fuel. The company’s contract with TARDEC, which is a subsidiary of the U.S. Army, is worth $1.7 million.

Hawaii’s station will be similar to one that Proton OnSite constructed in Connecticut. Producing 65kg of hydrogen per day, the station will cater to the emerging hydrogen powered vehicles appearing in the state. Hawaii has been targeted as one of the most promising locations to introduced fuel cell cars in the U.S. partly due to its massive consumption of fossil-fuels.

On the island of Oahu alone there are plans for more than 20 hydrogen fueling stations awaiting construction.

Proton OnSite is well known for pioneering advances in proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology. PEM’s are used to increase the productivity and resiliency of platinum catalysts within fuel cells which power conversions of water into hydrogen. The company has developed a use for PEM’s that make platinum catalysts unnecessary in stationary fuel cell systems, drastically reducing the price of these systems and making them more acceptable to commercial industries. Construction on the new fuel station is scheduled to begin with the next few months, with its completion coming in 2015, just in time for the influx of new hydrogen powered cars.