No. 863: Technology development for the age of fuel cell vehicles is in progress (2/5) (January 2, 2015)

Technology:
The Japanese government will deregulate the construction of a hydrogen station to support energy companies involved in the spread of hydrogen stations. It plans to increase the number of hydrogen stations to 100 within 2015. A hydrogen station can store hydrogen for the amount required by up to 7 fuel cell vehicles at present, but it is planning to eliminate this barrier by increasing the compression rate of hydrogen. It will also simplify the security standard of compressor and decrease the distance between the filling machine and the pubic road from the present at least 8 km to at least 4 km. Replying to the deregulation, companies concerned are announcing their plans to prepare for the age of fuel cell vehicles.

Taiyo Nippon Sanso	Plans to reduce the cost of a mobile hydrogen station to the level of 100 million yen and sell 300 mobile hydrogen stations toward 2025
JX Nippon Oil and Energy	Plans to produce hydrogen in 10 bases toward 2020 and construct 200 hydrogen stations
Iwatani Corp.	Plans to construct a total of 20 hydrogen gas stations toward 2015
Seven Eleven Japan	Plans to open convenience stores with a hydrogen station inside the premises

Taiyo Nippon Sanso's Hydro Shuttle

Taiyo Nippon Sanso has developed a mobile hydrogen station to reduce the construction cost of a hydrogen station to the level of 100 million yen. The mobile hydrogen station is named Hydro Shuttle, and the company plans to supply the Hydro Shuttle to 300 gas station operators toward 2025. It will shortly establish a company to operate the Hydro Shuttle in alliance with Toyota Tsusho and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing. Seven Eleven Japan will open convenience stores with a hydrogen station inside the premises in alliance with Iwatani Corp. They will open a convenience store of this kind in Tokyo and Aichi Prefecture and open a total of 20 convenience stores of this kind by 2017.

JX Nippon Oil and Energy opened its first hydrogen station last December where 1 kg of hydrogen is sold for 1,000 yen. A Toyota’s Mirai can travel up to 700 km with 5 kg of hydrogen. The price of 1,000 yen per 1 kg is below cost, but the company reckons that the business will become profitable if a hydrogen station receives a total of 2,000 customers daily. 

 Taiyo Nippon Sanso's Hydro Shuttle