Toyota Hydrogen Centre open

TOYOTA Australia has officially opened Victoria’s first hydrogen production and re-fuelling facility at its centre of excellence in Altona with some 80kg of hydrogen set to be produced daily.

Powered by an 87kW solar array, a 100kW battery storage and regular electricity grid, the facility uses electricity to split water molecules into their hydrogen and oxygen components with the former being stored in medium and high-pressure tanks.

Not only will the facility produce hydrogen, it will also be used as a commercial-grade refuelling centre for both commercial and passenger fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) like the Mirai and Hyundai’s newly launched Nexo.

According to Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor, the centre was built to showcase the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology.

“Globally, Toyota is committed to achieving zero CO2 emissions from its vehicles and plants under the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 and the commissioning of our hydrogen refuelling facility here today is an important step towards achieving that goal,” he said.

“By demonstrating the viability of renewably produced hydrogen as an automotive and energy fuel through this project, Toyota and its partners in government and business are pioneering a cleaner, more sustainable future that will encourage the further acceptance of this technology.

“We would like to thank our government partners for their assistance in bringing this project to fruition and those progressive forward-thinking business partners who will lease the 20 Mirai sedans we have brought into Australia to prove that hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles can, and will, play an important role in helping to move us towards a more sustainable and greener future.”

More than a self-sufficient refuelling station, the centre also features an education facility designed to help provide information as to how the technology works and the benefits of hydrogen as a fuel type.

Leader of the CSIRO Hydrogen Industry Mission Dr Patrick Hartley was present at the opening and said the centre would serve as a beacon for other brands looking into hydrogen-powered mobility.

“The infrastructure which is being commissioned at this new Toyota facility will not only progress the deployment of hydrogen vehicles, which can make a major contribution to helping our transport sector navigate Australia's energy transition,” he said.

Hydrogen technology and infrastructure is rapidly gaining traction in Australia, especially on the eastern seaboard where a number of projects like Toyota’s have either been finished or are nearing completion.

Australia’s first public hydrogen refuelling station was opened last week at Fyshwick in the ACT, coinciding with the introduction of 20 Hyundai Nexos to the state government fleet.

The Victorian government meanwhile committed $10 million to the Victorian Hydrogen Hub, $1 million of which will go to the CSIRO to assist in the development of a dedicated hydrogen vehicle (FCEV) refuelling station n Clayton.