Linde hydrogen fuel stations reach milestone in the US

Linde announces major milestone for hydrogen fuel stations in the US

The Linde Group, a leading producer of natural gases, has announced that its hydrogen fuel stations in the U.S. have reached a major milestone. The company has been building hydrogen fuel stations throughout the world in the hopes of bolstering the fuel infrastructure needed to support hydrogen-powered vehicles. These vehicles are expected to hit roads en masse beginning in 2015. Without the support of a comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure, these vehicles are not likely to find any success.

Stations reach 500,000 fills

According to Linde, its hydrogen fuel stations in the U.S. have hit the 500,000 fill milestone. These stations have provided fuel to a variety of vehicles that are equipped with fuel cells. These fuel cells use hydrogen to generate electrical power. These vehicles have become quite common in the materials handling space, where fuel cell-equipped forklift trucks and other such vehicles are beginning to replace those powered by traditional batteries. Hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles are also becoming somewhat common throughout the U.S.

BMW helps Linde reach milestone

BMW Manufacturing is one of the major contributors to Linde’s recent milestone. The company makes use of hydrogen fuel stations developed by Linde in order to power its materials handling vehicles. Many of the company’s forklift trucks make use of fuel cells developed by Plug Power. BMW is one of the automakers that has also been showing strong interest in developing hydrogen-powered vehicles for consumers. As such, the company has been supporting the establishment of a comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure in prominent markets around the world.

Infrastructure needed to ensure success of hydrogen-powered vehicles

Infrastructure is considered one of the most significant challenges facing the adoption of hydrogen fuel in the transportation sector. Without an expansive infrastructure, those with hydrogen-powered vehicles will have trouble keeping their vehicles fueled. This problem is similar to the one conventional vehicles experienced in the early days of their introduction.