State governments agree to fund a hydrogen superhighway

A hydrogen superhighway is coming, with three state governments agreeing to fund the development of a network of refuelling stations across Australia’s east coast.

The Victorian, New South Wales, and Queensland governments will provide a combined $20 million in funding to help develop the nation’s first renewable hydrogen refuelling station network.

According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry (FCAI), the move is an important step in preparing Australia for a zero emissions future.

“While this announcement is initially aimed at the trucking industry, it is a historic step in preparing the broader transport sector for large scale renewable hydrogen use,” said FCAI CEO, Tony Weber. “It is great to see three state governments behind this program.”

Related Reading:
The truth about hydrogen fuel cell motorcycles
Segway reveals futuristic hydrogen motorcycle
Honda files fuel cell patent

Renewable hydrogen from sources such as wind and solar is widely considered as an environmentally-safe alternative to fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel. Electric transport is growing rapidly, but there is still a big push for hydrogen-powered trucks, cars and bikes.

Hydrogen fuel cells create the electricity needed to power a vehicle by mixing a fuel (hydrogen, in this case) and an oxidising agent (usually oxygen). Fuel cell vehicles can be refuelled via a pump in the same way a petrol-powered vehicle can, and usually have similar driving/riding ranges (if not longer).

And, like standard EVs, hydrogen fuel cells produce zero CO2 emissions – the only emissions are heat and water vapour. Given the challenges of battery range and recharging times faced by regular EVs, there is a growing push for hydrogen to be a solution going forward.

To date, hydrogen fuel cell development has been most prominent in the trucking world, while Toyota has also been a big advocate (most notably with the Toyota Mirai). Things are a little quieter in bike land, but there has been some movement.

Honda and Suzuki have dabbled with hydrogen, while Kawasaki is also reportedly exploring the technology. Meanwhile, Chinese-owned Segway last year announced a hydrogen-powered motorcycle, with a planned 2023 release.

The biggest barriers for hydrogen currently are the lack of fuel stations and high prices of both fuel and development. While the development of a refuelling network is a good start, there also needs to be significant development of plants to source hydrogen by renewable means.

There are also concerns of the safety of transporting hydrogen, as it a volatile gas. However, many argue that hydrogen-powered vehicles are no less safe than their petrol-powered equivalents.

Many manufacturers are already deep in development of electric motorcycles, while electric development in the automotive industry has grown rapidly in recent years. But the major issue currently (especially in Australia) is the lack of infrastructure (i.e. recharging stations).

A hydrogen fuelling network will likely benefit the trucking industry, but the long-term benefit for the motorcycle and automotive industries is not yet clear.