Hydrogen Infrastructure for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles: Technical Status, International Developments, and the Looming Hydrogen Fuel Supply Gap

Several major automakers are preparing to produce and sell hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in the 2015-2017 timeframe. These sales are projected for international markets, led by the United States, Europe, Japan, and other parts of Asia, and are arranged around various “joint development” consortia. Unlike other types of hybrid and full electric vehicles that rely upon widely available gasoline and electricity infrastructure to refuel, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles require a novel hydrogen fuel-dispensing infrastructure. Much progress has been made in developing codes and standards for retail hydrogen fuel dispensing, along with technical progress in hydrogen storage, compression, and dispensing systems. Even so, however, early experience has shown that hydrogen stations are challenging to site, permit, and construct, and require considerable maintenance, raising unique challenges for the introduction of this new fuel type. Creating a sufficient initial network of stations – necessary to enable fuel cell vehicle purchases – will likely require some level of governmental support to be provided in collaboration with industry investments. This paper reviews recent technical progress in high-pressure, high-purity hydrogen gas dispensing for vehicle applications as well as international developments for expansion in the use of hydrogen fuel. Key conclusions are that significant progress has been made in recent years, with both vehicle and infrastructure technologies and regulations, but infrastructure development is starting to lag well behind expected market needs.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADC70 Transportation Energy.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Lipman, Timothy
  • Witt, Maggie
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric vehicle charging; Electric vehicles; Fuel cell vehicles; Fuel cells; Fuel storage; Hydrogen fuels; Infrastructure; Standards
• Geographic Terms: Asia; Europe; Japan; United States
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure; I90: Vehicles; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01506343
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-5620
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 3 2014 9:17AM