Honda Erects Hydrogen Fueling Station in Swindon, UK

Hydrogen could very well be the future of fueling our vehicles. It's clean, and it could be inexpensive. The problem is that it is potentially flammable and must be stored under pressure. Honda has built the first hydrogen refueling station in the UK at its factory in Swindon. The station is operated by industrial gases company, BOC, and is technically open to the public. However, since there are no hydrogen vehicles yet on sale to the public, its opening is still quite academic. 

The station is capable of refueling hydrogen vehicles at 350 bar and 700 bar, which are the two current standards for hydrogen fuel pressures. 

The station looks like a normal fuel station, and Honda claims that one of its FCX Clarity vehicles could be refueled in less than five minutes. 

Honda plans to create a network of these stations with BOC along the M4 between London and Swansea.

Perhaps we are on the road to a more sustainable future for powering our cars, but you probably should not get too excited yet. In comparison to the charging stations that Nissan wants to build, these refueling stations are expensive and need more room to build. Until there are places to refuel the vehicles, it will be difficult to sell hydrogen-powered cars.