Hydrogen fuel cell cars and trucks one step closer to reality in Australia with large NSW hub set to open in 2022

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) offer promising advantages over battery electrics (BEVs), particularly in Australia, although until very recently, they have seemed more science fiction than reality.

Thanks to infrastructure company Jemena and gas company Coregas, NSW is set to have its first major green hydrogen hub open as soon as early next year.

Jemena said starting in early 2022, it will produce and supply green hydrogen from its Western Sydney plant for industrial and transport applications. It will be the first large-scale refuelling operation in the state, and one of only a handful of stations in the nation.

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The massive renewable energy project will convert solar and wind power into hydrogen gas, and as well as providing a refuelling hub for vehicles, will also be able to provide enough power for 250 homes via a 500kW electrolyser.

Jemena says the project is able to store as much energy as eight million powerwall batteries and will come at a cost of $15 million dollars. If the five-year project is successful, it will look to roll out hydrogen across its existing gas network which will cover the majority of NSW.

The project is co-funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), and will help the NSW government reach its ‘Stage 1 Net Zero’ plan to cut emissions by 35 per cent (from 2005 levels) before 2030.

The project will be able to store as much energy as 8 million powerwall batteries.

Jemena has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Australia, and since early 2021, has provided hydrogen to its FCEV refuelling station at its Macquarie Park headquarters.

For reference, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use a power-generating stack which requires compressed hydrogen and oxygen from the outside as fuel in place of batteries to generate electricity, driving the wheels via an electric motor. The primary benefit of the system is a reduction on weight compared to battery electric vehicles, with FCEVs being more equivalent in weight to a hybrid vehicle.

The lightness of the fuel itself allows for long ranges between refills, with the two available models in Australia, the Hyundai Nexo SUV and Toyota Mirai sedan each travelling over 650km on a single tank. The only tailpipe emission from a fuel cell stack is purified water.

Hydrogen fuel cell is also tipped to be the inevitable future of heavy-commercial vehicles, as the relatively light system weight allows them to maintain adequate payloads with long range compared to a battery-powered equivalent, while also offering refuelling times equivalent to a current diesel vehicle.

Hyundai has launched the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell commercial vehicle, the Xcient truck, in Europe, and Toyota is currently trialling hydrogen powered trucks under the Hino brand in Japan.

The main issue facing hydrogen powered vehicles is a lack of infrastructure. Hydrogen requires highly pressurised lines, refrigeration on-site, and unique bowsers, which is why projects like this are important to bring scalability to the grid.

Stay tuned as we cover more of the hydrogen infrastructure rollout throughout Australia.