The ActewAGL site in Canberra won’t even charge you for overpriced chocolates on the way out the door. The fuel is even produced on-site using water and renewable energy. As with many great deals, there is a catch – a biggie. You’ll need a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) to use the free offer. What is arguably the cleanest and greenest vehicle refueling station delivers hydrogen, not petrol. Set up in Canberra to power a fleet of 20 Hyundai Nexos – the first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles certified for sale in Australia – the outlet is strategically placed only a few kilometers from Parliament House and alongside depots for StarTrack Express and Australia Post.
In building early demand and interest in hydrogen vehicles, manufacturers like Hyundai and rival Toyota turn to governments and fleets. Those businesses run fleets of forklifts and delivery vehicles, which is crucial for early hydrogen take-up. “We are launching more than just a car,” said Dr. Saehoon Kim, Hyundai’s global head of fuel cell center, who is ahead of the Friday opening of the hydrogen station. “The program might be small, but the significance is large.” Just days ahead of another hydrogen station opening by Toyota in Melbourne, the race is on to take advantage of government incentives and increasing interest in the long-talked-of hydrogen economy. And Kim believes Australia could play a global role that could eventually supplant the mining of fossil fuels. Your great country is one of the world’s leading exporters of coal and gas … but now maybe instead of looking under the ground, it’s time for Australia to start looking towards the sky.”
While two hydrogen refueling stations will be open within a week, only eight more planned or in development are dotted across every state and territory except the Northern Territory. Compare that to the 7000-odd petrol stations that make possible motoring right across our wide brown (and sometimes damp) land, and the scale of the hydrogen challenge is starker. That’s why placing refueling stations is critical – one along a major trucking route such as Melbourne-Sydney appears logical – as Australia ramps up for fuel, some believe will power utes and four-wheel drives in the future. “Everything that we see today powered by petrol will more than likely be EV in the future,” said Scott Nagar, Hyundai Australia’s senior manager of future mobility and government affairs. “And everything that’s diesel now will more than likely be hydrogen fuel cell inthe future.”
Not that there’s a considerable difference between the two. Fuel cells and EVs are electric vehicles, but instead of hundreds of kilograms of batteries, the FCEV has a fuel cell to convert hydrogen into electricity on demand. Eventually, drivers will have to pay for the hydrogen from the ActewAGL station, funded by a consortium that includes the ACT Government. European experience and Hyundai’s local estimate suggest a cost of around $10-15 per kilogram. Considering average hydrogen use of about one kilogram per 100km, the price compares favorably to petrol or diesel, only emitting water from the twin hidden exhaust outlets.
