A hydrogen fuel station exploded in Sandvika, Norway, on Monday, and because of it, fuel supplier Nel has closed 10 more stations in the country.
As a result, both Toyota and Hyundai have issued pauses of deliveries of their hydrogen vehicles, mainly because of the closing of those stations.
Norway’s hydrogen fueling infrastructure is more robust than here in the U.S., leading to more sales of fuel cell cars there.
The explosion forced authorities to cordon off a 500-meter zone around the station, which thankfully, no one was near when the blast happened.
There were two reported injuries, both drivers whose airbags went off because of the concussion. The operating company says it’s too early to tell what caused the problem.
“I heard a big bang. We were on the beach at Henie Onstad Art Center just across the bay and heard a horrible bang. Then white smoke overturned from the station,” Monica Lid told local media.
According to Electrive, two experts have flown in from Denmark to advise in the upcoming investigation.
This won’t be the death knell for the fuel, but hydrogen does have its drawbacks, besides being flammable (hydrogen gas can burn in air at wide concentrations — between 4 and 75 percent).
It also takes another energy source, whether green and renewable or fossil fuel-based, to separate it from oxygen. Plus, it’s harder to store and transport than gasoline and oil.
However, it is clean and efficient. Fuel cell vehicles are basically electric cars with onboard tanks that can be quickly refilled at hydrogen stations rather than batteries that must be plugged in and recharged, which is part of what makes the technology so promising.
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Hydrogen makes gasoline seem tame in comparison.
This is really the Green way? Hydrogen is tough to keep from leaking in the vehicle since it is such a small molecule. And very flammable/explosive. Oh, and it is usually produced from Natural Gas, producing CO2 as a by-product.
But ignore all that. Hydrogen burns cleanly, producing only water. Perfect for the scientifically challenged Greens.
Hydrogen is what was used on the Hindenburg which is why it exploded in Lakehurst N.J. back in 1936 and just look at all the contamenents
Hydrogen does have one safety factor over fossil fuels. The main element in fossil fuels that radiates heat when they burn is carbon, which is absent in hydrogen. That is why the death toll in the Hindenburg disaster was much lower than would be expected.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many reasons hydrogen isn’t practical. For vehicles, hydrogen has to be stored at 10,000 psi. I have a hard time believing this is safe. In addition, it takes energy for such compression not necessary for gasoline. As Dave O pointed out, hydrogen is usually made from natural gas and the processes releases CO2, so why not use natural gas or propane instead?