Boosting clean mobility in the region, the new additions are the result of $22.8m in funding awarded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), on behalf of the Australian Government.

New Energies Service Station received the capital and committed to developing the above opposite Viva Energy’s petroleum refinery. In total, it is believed the project will cost $43.3m.

As well as the zero emissions vehicle stations and related equipment, the refuelling location will also incorporate a 2MW electrolyser to produce green hydrogen on site.

But this clean station site will have a dirty twist, which will hopefully result in some positive changes. Viva Energy has said it wants to add a traditional diesel refuelling station on-site to allow those still using conventional vehicles to witness the future of mobility.

On board with this, Darren Miller, CEO of ARENA, said the project will help to accelerate the commercialisation pathways for FCEV fleets in Australia.

“We’re excited to be working with Viva Energy to build Australia’s first publicly available hydrogen refuelling station to independent fleets,” Millar commented.

“The experiences of Viva Energy and fleet vehicles using the renewable hydrogen produced onsite for refuelling will provide valuable insights into the operation of different types of hydrogen FCEV heavy vehicles.

“This project will be a key opportunity for early uptake of commercially viable hydrogen and a service station model that could be replicated across Australia as the price of electrolyser technology drops.”

Each of the FCEVs purchased as part of the funding, will be purchased by project partners. Toll Group, ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia, Cleanaway and Barwon Water have committed to purchasing the vehicles.

Scott Wyatt, CEO of Viva Energy, added, “This funding from ARENA has opened the door for Viva Energy to work with long-term customers to demonstrate the important role that hydrogen will play in the future of transportation in Australia.

“This project puts hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road to prove their value in day-to-day commercial operations while reducing the carbon footprint of the heavy vehicle transport we rely on every day.”

North American Hydrogen Summit

H2 View is taking its events platform to America’s original clean hydrogen hub of California. Together with the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP), we will stage our North American Hydrogen Summit in San Francisco on July 14-15.

As our summit theme Building Bridges: Hydrogen hubs and investment suggests, the event will explore the $8bn of funding announced to create at least four regional hydrogen hubs in the US. These hubs will turbo-charge the nation’s progress toward heavy trucking and industrial sectors that run without producing carbon pollution – and they may just provide the path forward to a hydrogen-fuelled future.

With California and Texas vying to be America’s hydrogen capital today, where are the hubs of tomorrow? Further still, what can other states, and countries, learn from California’s success story? And how can we build bridges to a successful flow of international investment?

Full information about this event including attendance and sponsorship packages can be found here.