Total opens highway hydrogen fueling station in Belgium
The first European hydrogen station installed along a highway is now open. The oil giant Total has opened the fuel kiosk along the Ruisbroek-Brussels highway in Belgium, and it is the first hydrogen dispensing station that is located in a place like "regular" ones. It's also the first hydrogen fuel station built outside Germany. Although owned by Total, the station was also sponsored by BMW, which must be glad to announce that lucky drivers of the BMW Hydrogen 7-series had another place to fill up with H2. Brussels is not one of Europe's largest capital cities, but it is one of the most important ones thanks to the number of EU institution that it hosts.
[Source: BMW Belgium-Luxembourg and Total]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Scatter 9:28AM (6/04/2008)
It would be interesting to know where they get the hydrogen from. Tanker deliveries I would assume.
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Tony 10:00AM (6/04/2008)
Funny.. it didn't say how much a fillup was.
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Scatter 10:20AM (6/04/2008)
I expect they're quite reasonable as BMW is probably footing the bill!
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T2 11:35AM (6/04/2008)
It seems like being the Hydrogen Fuel Station Attendant would be a good follow on job for the Maytag Repair Man.
T2
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darius 2:29PM (6/04/2008)
I'm not sure that where they get the hydrogen from is that important. Will they even get a few customers a week? I mean how many hydrogen cars do they have in Belgium?
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Scatter 3:12PM (6/04/2008)
Very few I'd have thought.
The source of hydrogen is very important. BMW is widely touting their hydrogen fueled products as zero emissions:
"We stop emissions. Not emotions"
"Our formula for success is simple. H2O not CO2"
http://snipurl.com/bmwh2
I'd love to know what the WTT emissions of the liquid H2 steam reformed from natural gas (I assume) and then tankered to the pumps is!
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regguy 5:49PM (6/04/2008)
The hydrogen comes from energy companies, not from auto companies. Auto companies build the cars that run on hydrogen and all are pushing for green hydrogen.
Blaming the auto industry for the not-yet-green hydrogen is like blaming senior citizens for the high cost of prescription medications.
Why is Steam methane reformation of natural gas used today???
Most hydrogen produced today (50 million tons) is used in the refining process and according to Air Products (world's largest producer):
"About 95% of the total global hydrogen production is captive meaning it is used at the site where it is produced."
When will green hydrogen be produced? When the market demands it.
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Paolo 10:33PM (6/04/2008)
sure it's a long way to drive to refuel my million dollar hydrogen car, but um, um,
crap i got nothin.
GOoOOOOOoooOOOO Hydrogen!!! YAY!!!!
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Scatter 2:48AM (6/05/2008)
Regguy, I'm sorry but if they're going to make claims of zero emissions now, they need to start producing zero emission fuel now. EVs can do this because they can be recharged with renewable electricity.
If BMW and Total can't even be bothered to work up a test bed of renewably powered electrolysis for the extremely limited (i.e. zero) market they have at the moment then what hope is there that this will happen if the market actually grows a bit?
BMW press release quoted in ABG:
"Hydrogen technology dramatically reduces [note the present tense] emissions generated by personal transport and, in particular, minimizes the emission of CO2. Running in the hydrogen mode, the BMW Hydrogen 7 essentially emits nothing but vapor."
You can't argue with the last part but the first is a barefaced lie.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/09/12/bmw-officially-announces-the-bmw-hydrogen-7/
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regguy 5:12PM (6/05/2008)
Scatter, it's consistent to compare hydrogen vehicle emissions to fossil fuel vehicle and BEV emissions. The coal fired electric power plant is ignored for BEVs and the SMR production of hydrogen is ignored for hydrogen powered vehicles. "Personal transport" doesn't mean infrastructure.
It is correct to demand green hydrogen.
It is false to expect the auto industry to go bankrupt financing a green hydrogen infrastructure while the energy companies allocate all profits to more fossil fuel supplies. Renewable and sustainable production of hydrogen is the task of the energy market, with a push from the influencers like government and consumers.
Rather than criticizing the auto industry for spending billions on hydrogen vehicle development, with no stake in the the trillions in profits to be reaped from hydrogen fuel sales, the pressure needs to be directed at clean production of hydrogen from energy companies.
BEVs cannot possibly be the only answer:
- trade mid-east oil dependence for far east battery dependence
- nighttime production of electricity stored where?
- long distance range challenges
- escalating costs of power plants
- power transmission wires in whose backyard?
- aircraft fuel
- many other issues
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Sean 1:23PM (6/05/2008)
Firstly, it's about time.
Tankers? Are you kidding? What it probably uses is solar powered electrolyzers and pump clean water to it like we do every house built today.
Water plus Electricity is Clean Hydrogen which means clean burning cars with no emissions and rock bottom fuel costs. Just the price of the station and water.
Could easily drop fuel prices to 60+ miles to the dollar.
So who wants a hydrogen car? Me.
http://gas2.org/2008/06/04/company-unveils-hydrogen-hybrid-supercar-available-fall-2008/
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Nils 5:03PM (6/05/2008)
Everyday I drive past this refueling station and I have noticed 2 things:
-It's placed like 200m from the main station, which makes for a bad refueling experience. No coffee while filling up ur BMW7.
-I have never seen a car refuel so far and it's been there for a month now...
I haven't seen the price yet. If I do (I never refuel there), i'll post it, promise.
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Chris M 4:32AM (6/06/2008)
I hate to bust your wonderful dream, Sean, but this H2 filling station is owned by a petroleum company, and they will make the H2 by the cheapest method available - and that is by steam reforming hydrocarbon fuels, probably natural gas.
Because of the energy losses in steam reforming, a H2 fuel cell car would use almost as much natural gas as a CNG car would. A H2 hog like the "Hydrogen 7" would use considerably more natural gas than a CNG car, thanks to the combination of energy losses in steam reforming, energy losses to chill and condense to liquid H2, and the inefficiency of the internal combustion engine.
As to that weblink you provided - well, the Ronn Motors car is actually powered by gasoline, with a tiny amount of H2 generated by electrolysis which supposedly improves combustion - an extremely dubious claim. Correction: The Ronn car is not actually available, and it is highly doubtful it ever will be. It doesn't run on H2, it runs on gullibility!
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regguy 8:52AM (6/06/2008)
Chris M
You wrote "A H2 hog like the "Hydrogen 7"...
Educate yourself:
slide 20, GGE means "gallon of gasoline equivalent"
http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/HV/475.pdf
17/30 is not a hog.
Many have divided the LH2 tank capacity into the published range on LH2 and derived false numbers. The inaccuracy of using LH2 tank capacity and range stems from the system auto switching to gasoline when there is still LH2 left to avoid an "empty-warm" refueling, which takes a little longer than a "cold" refuel with LH2 left in the tank.
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Chris M 10:01PM (6/07/2008)
regguy: I have been following the subject closely, and I use the figures from BMW - they stated a 120 mile range on the 30 gallon liquid H2 tank, and 15 mpg when running on Petrol. I don't know why there is a discrepancy between the BMW figures and that goverment lab, but I suspect the government lab is under political pressure to support the Bush "Hydrogen initiative". BMW, on the other hand, is merely looking for promotional "green credits" from their celebrity giveaway program, why would they lowball their fuel economy figures?
It takes 3.426 gallons of liquid H2 to equal the energy in 1 gallon of gasoline. Figuring 4 miles per gallon of liquid H2, (120 m / 30 g) and the "Gallon of Gas Equivalence" of 3.426, that works out to 13.7 miles per GGE. Sorry, that still qualifies as "H2 hog" in my book. Come to think of it, even 30 miles per GGE isn't all that impressive.
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Chris M 11:04AM (6/09/2008)
Regguy said "BEVs cannot possibly be the only answer:"
- "trade mid-east oil dependence for far east battery dependence"
Batteries don't have to come from "far east", they can be made anywhere, even here.
Besides, batteries are a one-time purchase, not "every 300 miles or so".
- "nighttime production of electricity stored where?"
In batteries. Duh.
- "long distance range challenges"
To be solved by PHEVs, improved batteries, battery swaps, and possibly "powered hiways". Try refilling the H2 tank while driving...
- "escalating costs of power plants"
Versus, say, escalating cost of H2 production plants?
- "power transmission wires in whose backyard?"
Versus, say, potentially leaky H2 pipeline in whose backyard?
- "aircraft fuel"
I remember a proposal to run a jet on liquid H2.
The fuel tank was as big as the fuselage. 'Nuff said.
- "many other issues"
Nowhere near as many issues as with H2.
But you are right, BEVs aren't the only answer, just a major part of the answer. There will be roles for biofuels, hybrids, CNG, personal rapid transit, and possibly high speed electric trains. But H2 is more question than answer, as in "why go for the more expensive less efficient H2 option?"
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