Hydrogen refueling stations

In June 2024, France Hydrogène counted 75 hydrogen refueling stations in France with a further 64 stations considered to be under construction or planned.

Hydrogen refueling at our HRS stations is done in accordance with the SAE J2601 standard which sets out a protocol that takes into account the pressure, flow rate and temperature.

The filling speed is approximately 1 kg/minute, or around 5 minutes for a passenger vehicle. Faster refueling is possible for heavy-duty vehicles: around 15 minutes for a bus (30 kg).

Because fast refueling is one of the main advantages of hydrogen for mobility, HRS is working to develop very high-speed refueling. Through our involvement with the RHeaDHy project, we are aiming for a fivefold reduction in the refueling time for heavy-duty vehicles.

The objective: refueling of a high-capacity truck (100 kg) in just 10 minutes!

Hydrogen is dispensed from a pump in the form of a gas. This means you can "fill up" in just a few minutes by connecting a nozzle to your vehicle's tank, just like a combustion engine vehicle.

However, because the hydrogen is in its gaseous state, the process used to convey it to the pump differs from that used at a petrol service station.

The hydrogen passes through various modules at the station before arriving at the dispenser: it is compressed for storage then cooled ready to be dispensed when a vehicle arrives at the pump. To find out how a hydrogen station works, click here.

HRS hydrogen refueling stations are manufactured on an industrial scale.

This is possible thanks to HRS's technological expertise based on the integration of complex diverse expertise in high-pressure environments.

HRS stations are formed of at least four main modules:

• Compression,
• Storage (modular as required),
• Cooling units,
• Dispenser.

In addition to assembling the various modules, our teams design and assemble the piping required for the various components, as well as the electrical components, the automatic system, etc.

The stations are manufactured and assembled at our industrial site in Champagnier, part of the Grenoble urban area, with 10,000 m² dedicated to station production.

A hydrogen refueling station must be supplied with gas to be able to operate.
If it is supplied with hydrogen gas produced on site by an electrolyser, it can be considered to operate "autonomously". The gas is produced on site, before entering the station to be compressed, stored, cooled, and dispensed to vehicles.

To find out more about how a hydrogen station operates

Another advantage of HRS stations is that they can be adapted to all types of hydrogen source. The gas can therefore be produced on site by electrolysis or transported to the site by truck, tube-trailer, or pipeline.

Our hydrogen refueling stations do not produce hydrogen, but are used to compress, store, and dispense hydrogen to vehicles for refueling.

HRS stations can be connected to all types of hydrogen source.

There are several methods for producing hydrogen and some refueling stations can be connected to an electrolyser installed on the site, which means the hydrogen is produced on site. This enables a continuous hydrogen supply, even in regions in which there is limited distribution of hydrogen.

The hydrogen pumps are accessible infrastructures, just like petrol and diesel service stations.

Currently in France and Europe, hydrogen vehicle fleets are mainly privately owned (companies, regional authorities, etc.), which means the stations are often located at private sites.

Companies have positioned themselves as hydrogen distributors and set up their own networks, as in France: Engie, Hympulsion, Hype, Sydev, Hygo…

In 2022, there were 1070 stations listed throughout the world – a 55% increase compared to 2021 – the majority of which (> 650) were in Asia, 276 in Europe and 116 in America¹.

HRS has positioned itself as a pure industrial player for H₂ stations, with an annual production capacity of 180 stations, or one sixth of the world's installed base in 2022.

¹ Hydrogen Council

France Hydrogène has produced a map of H2 service stations in France, which is available from the Vig’Hy hydrogen observatory.

In Europe, hydrogen stations – both operational and under construction – can be found on the H₂ live, H₂ map and H₂ stations websites.

Hydrogen stations are installed at public or private sites belonging to the owners of hydrogen vehicle fleets, therefore it is not yet possible to refuel with H₂ at home as can be done with an electric vehicle.

According to France Hydrogène¹, by 2030 there will be 1000 H₂ stations across the country for refueling:

• 300,000 light vehicles
• 5000 heavy goods vehicles
• 1000 boats
• 250 trains

To view the stations installed by HRS: click here.

¹ France Hydrogène

Hydrogen refueling stations are equivalent to service stations used to "fill up" by connecting a nozzle to the vehicle.

It is not yet possible to install an H₂ station at home like an electric recharging point, as this technology requires significant infrastructure comprising several modules.

The number of hydrogen refueling stations is gradually increasing across several countries, specifically in regions where the adoption of hydrogen as an energy source is encouraged.

Several applications hold information on hydrogen refueling stations throughout the world: H₂ live, H₂ map, H₂ stations, Vig’Hy

The Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation has been put in place by the European Union to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This regulatory framework is designed to structure the development of charging and distribution infrastructures for alternative fuels, including hydrogen.
The AFIR regulation provides for the deployment of hydrogen refueling stations and requires Member States to apply it by 2030 along the Trans-European Transport Network.

The target is one refueling point every 200 km on the 9 routes of the network, one refueling station at each urban node, with each refueling point having a throughput of1 tonne of hydrogen per day at 700 bar.

These refueling points will have to accept electronic payments and give users clear information on pricing options.

Click here to read the testimonial of our Deputy CEO, Olivier Dhez, about AFIR.

Source: Union European Council

The price of hydrogen is not calculated by the litre, but by the kg. €10-€20 per kg of hydrogen is the average price at the station, given that 1 kg is equivalent to a range of ~100 km for a passenger vehicle.

Several projects are under way to reduce the pump price, looking at both production and distribution.

Companies are undertaking large-scale projects to produce green hydrogen to be sold at a more competitive price. For example, Gaia Future Energy is aiming to produce 1 Mt of green hydrogen in Morocco by 2030 for the European market.

Reducing the pump price of hydrogen also requires a review of infrastructure costs. HRS has been able to scale up its stations activity by industrialising its hydrogen refueling station manufacturing process: thanks to a tripling of its production capacity following its move to the Champagnier site, HRS is aiming to boost the competitiveness of its products in order to promote access to H₂ for mobility.

L’État français étend en 2024 la « Taxe incitative à l’utilisation d’énergie renouvelable dans les transports » (TIRUERT) à l’hydrogène décarboné. Cette taxe a pour but de réduire le coût de l’hydrogène à la pompe. À long terme, elle devrait permettre d’atteindre 4.70€ le kilo d’hydrogène, si ce dernier est 100% renouvelable.