New Shell hydrogen fuelling stations expand in Germany

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. the world’s largest hydrogen supplier, has provided SmartFuel hydrogen fuelling stations to Shell Germany; this will contribute to the expansion of Germany’s network of hydrogen fuelling stations in place throughout various parts of the country. Air Products’ state-of-the-art technology is used in the SmartFuel fuelling stations, making them capable of providing 40 kg of hydrogen per day, for a fleet of 50 vehicles per day. The hydrogen used to power vehicles comes from a by-product of an industrial process and is brought to the site in a tanker. Twenty-four hour service is available daily to customers. It takes only three minutes to fuel at a pressure of 700 bar.
Germany is a key area in building commercial structures for SmartFuel in other parts of Europe as the country has a dense industrial infrastructure and a closely-knit traffic network; both of which constitute an ideal basis for hydrogen-powered mobility. The company plans to extend the existing infrastructure to around 50 fuelling stations by 2015. These stations will be built in metropolitan regions and along corridors connecting these regions, so as to support the initial roll-out of fuel cell vehicles.
Air Products has opened a new fuelling station at Heathrow airport to fuel a set of hydrogen taxis. In Barcelona, Spain, Air Products recently provided hydrogen for the fuelling station which powered the Honda FCX Clarity on its journey across the city on the 20th and 21st June, as part of the International Conference “Alternative Powertrain Systems” organized by the Sociedad de Tecnicos de Automocion.
Air Products has been the leading global supplier of hydrogen to refineries, assisting in the production of cleaner burning transportation fuels. The company has placed more than 150 hydrogen fuelling stations in the United States and 19 other countries. (September 6, 2012)