New hydrogen fuel station takes root in California
August 8, 2013Hydrogen Frontier to build new hydrogen fuel station in California
The California Energy Commission has awarded a $3 million grant to Hydrogen Frontier, a company specializing in the development of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure. The grant is meant to support the organization’s endeavors to build a 100% renewable hydrogen fuel station that will be located at a hydrogen production facility owned and operated by South Korean automaker Hyundai. The fueling station will help support the automaker’s new generation of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Fuel station will provide support to Hyundai
Hyundai has managed to establish a strong lead in the clean transportation market. The company has become the first to begin mass production of a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Hyundai’s ix35 has been delivered to several places in Europe and is expected to establish a strong presence in the U.S. in the coming months. In order for this vehicle to find success in the market, however, it must be supported by a comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure.
Station to rely on renewable energy in order to produce hydrogen
The project being managed by Hydrogen Frontier will produce hydrogen fuel only through the use of renewable resources. This will ensure that the production process is as environmentally friendly as possible and will not be linked to carbon emissions of any kind. The station is expected to produce 100 kilograms of hydrogen on a daily basis, which is enough to fuel as many as 9,000 vehicles per year. The process will also make use of water that is located on-site, reducing the costs associated with transporting water to the station itself on a regular basis.
Station to be operational by October 2014
The new hydrogen fuel station is scheduled to be completed in October of 2014. At that time, the station will open to the public and provide support to those with hydrogen-powered vehicles. While Hyundai is the first to begin mass producing these vehicles, it is not the only automaker that has plans when it comes to hydrogen fuel. Several of the world’s largest automakers, including Toyota, BMW, Honda, and General Motors, have plans to launch hydrogen-powered vehicles in the coming years, as infrastructure becomes more capable of supporting the mass adoption of clean transportation.