Hydrogen cars: CSIRO to build Australia’s fourth, Melbourne’s second refuelling point 

It might be only one small leap for hydrogen but it could be a giant leap for hydrogen cars.

Australia’s peak science and advanced research institution, the CSIRO, has been given a $1 million funding boost from the Victorian Government to go towards Melbourne’s second hydrogen-car refuelling station – only the fourth such facility nationally.

Not including a portable hydrogen refuelling on the back of a truck owned by Toyota’s research division, currently there is only one operational permanent hydrogen refuelling point nationally, at Hyundai Australia’s Sydney headquarters (pictured below).

However that site is for Hyundai's exclusive use. To date, NSW and Queensland Governments are yet to announce hydrogen-car refuelling programs.

Two new hydrogen stations are due to open by the end of March 2021 – after delays last year due to the coronavirus crisis – in Canberra and in the west Melbourne suburb of Altona. Both facilities are research projects involving the ACT and Victorian governments respectively.

Now a fourth permanent hydrogen-car refuelling point (pictured below) has been pledged by the CSIRO, to be installed in the south-eastern suburb of Clayton which, half a century ago, was the epicentre of local car assembly.

A statement from the CSIRO issued over the weekend said the peak science body “welcomed Victorian government funding that will enable it to partner with Swinburne University of Technology to establish the Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2)”.

The CSIRO says VH2 is “designed to bring researchers, industry partners and businesses together to test, trial and demonstrate new and emerging hydrogen technologies”.

To date, there are only two hydrogen-powered cars available locally: the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo are due on local roads in the coming weeks as part of a fleet trial and are not yet available for the public to buy.

Under the partnership, CSIRO will receive more than $1 million towards the development of a refuelling station to fuel and test hydrogen vehicles, the CSIRO statement said.

“As Australia considers energy alternatives, we know hydrogen is clean and will be cost-competitive – but a major barrier to it becoming a fuel source for cars and trucks is how to refuel, and the lack of refuelling infrastructure,” CSIRO Executive Director, Growth, Nigel Warren said in a media statement. “The refueller is a significant step towards removing that barrier.”

The CSIRO is yet to announce when construction on the new hydrogen refuelling point will commence and when it is expected to be operational. We have contacted the CSIRO and will update this story with its response.

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