‘World’s largest’ hydrogen bus station announced in California

Fastech and Bosch Rexroth will build what they say will be the world’s largest hydrogen refuelling station for transit buses in California.

The hub will centre Bosch Rexroth’s cryopump compression and dispensing system serving a fleet of 175 fuel cell electric buses (FCEB) operated by California’s San Mateo County Transit District (Samtrans).

It would mark the first commercial deployment of the technology, which reduces liquid hydrogen boil-off and could deliver up to 3.5 tonnes of hydrogen per day across four refuelling points.

A timeline for construction and the source of hydrogen supply have not yet been disclosed.

The announcement comes after major hydrogen supply disruptions in California led to just across the state being available in early April.

While the network has historically centred on gaseous hydrogen supplies, the shortage highlighted the fragility of hydrogen refuelling logistics.

Bosch Rexroth is also integrating its technology at a in development with Hyroad Energy and GenH2, billed as the US’s first “zero-loss” liquid hydrogen (LH2) refuelling station.

Fastech was alongside GenH2 for a second California station.

While LH2 offers higher energy density than gaseous systems for hydrogen mobility, potentially reducing logistics costs, it introduces issues like efficiency losses, high costs, and infrastructure complexity.

Boil-off, a major problem affecting LH2, occurs when it warms above -253ºC and reverts to gas. This can lead to losses across the value chain from production, transport, and storage.