Hydrogen fueling station to open in Shanghai

A large hydrogen fueling station in Shanghai is expected to begin operations in about three months, which business insiders expect will speed up the hydrogen industry's development in China.

Hydrogen energy is considered a clean source of fuel that does not release carbon dioxide. Shanghai Elite Energy Technologies Co and SAIC Motor Corp launched the fueling station on Wednesday in Shanghai's chemical industrial park.

The station is the first commercialized 70-Mpa hydrogen fueling station in China, and the largest hydrogen fueling station in the world, according to Lan Qingsong, vice-president of State-owned SAIC Motor.

He said at the launching ceremony that the station has the capacity to deliver 1920 kilograms of hydrogen each day. The station has functions beyond fueling hydrogen fuel-cell cars; it also offers services like automobile maintenance, he said.

Zhu Yinjian, the head of the hydrogen station, said a hydrogen car can be refueled in minutes, similar to traditional internal combustion engines.

China has been making a push to develop the hydrogen industry in a bid to make the automobile industry cleaner and more efficient. The government included the development of hydrogen stations for new energy vehicles, for the first time, in the government work report.

Wang Yuwu, chief technical expert of Linde China's hydrogen mobility, said the hydrogen fueling station is expected to start operating in about two to three months.

Linde Group, a world leading industrial gases and engineering company, provided hydrogen technology to help Shanghai Elite Energy Technologies Co build the hydrogen fueling station. Linde controls 10 percent shares of the latter company.

The public has long raised concerns about the safety of hydrogen use, because the energy is very flammable. In late May, a hydrogen tank exploded in South Korea, leaving several dead and injured.

Steven Fang, head of Linde China, said the hydrogen industry requires "special technologies" to ensure safety.

He said Linde implements advanced and mature safety management and technologies when handling gases, which ensure safety when producing, storing, transporting, and compressing hydrogen.