Dispensing Hydrogen Fuel to Vehicles

The technology used for storing hydrogen onboard vehicles directly affects the design and selection of the delivery system and infrastructure. In the near term, 700 bar gaseous onboard storage has been chosen by the original equipment manufacturers for the first vehicles to be released commercially, and 350 bar is the chosen pressure for buses and lift trucks (for example, forklifts). Protocols for filling at both pressures have been defined in the SAE J2601 document.

One of the greatest challenges to commercial dispensing of hydrogen is in the accurate metering of the hydrogen delivered. Learn more about the safety, codes, and standards related to hydrogen dispensing including refueling protocols, purity standards, and metering requirements. Additional challenges include a low volume of manufacturers and a lack of component standardization. The U.S. Department of Energy is therefore funding research to characterize the performance and material properties of currently available hydrogen fueling hoses after extended use.¹ Other delivery options such as cold, cryo-compressed delivery are also being investigated.

Notes

¹ See a description of a hose testing facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.