Today the company officially opened the world’s first small-series production facility for hydrogen fueling stations in Vienna. Linde’s Vienna Application Centre was extensively modernized and expanded specifically for this project. Many ground-breaking hydrogen fueling innovations have originated from this hub in recent years, including Linde’s energy-efficient, compact ionic compressor, the IC 90.
“The successful commercialization of fuel-cell cars hinges on a sufficiently widespread hydrogen infrastructure. The development of small-series production capabilities is a key milestone on this journey. It gives us the flexibility we need to meet rising demand in different markets,” said Aldo Belloni, member of the Executive Board of Linde AG.
At the opening ceremony, Linde also announced it signed a standard agreement with Iwatani Corporation for the delivery of 28 hydrogen fueling stations with ionic compressors. The first of these units was completed today in Amagasaki near Osaka and is the first commercial hydrogen station for vehicles built in western Japan. According to the operator Iwatani, the station will start retail sales of hydrogen after fuel cell vehicles hit the market, with their debut expected by next March at the earliest.
The government aims to set up about 100 hydrogen stations mainly in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya by the end of March 2016 to encourage the use of the next-generation green vehicles. Currently, about 40 stations are planned in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures.
Source: Linde
