Like all green cars, fuels, and technologies, finding a convenient, accessible chain of charging and fueling stations is a critical issue for success. Europe now has the world’s longest “hydrogen highway,” a 1,404 mile trek where fuel cell vehicles can stop and gas up with hydrogen at fueling stations. The route goes from Oslo to Monte Carlo, and is the brainchild of Zero Emissions Reduce Organization (ZERO), a Norwegian advocacy group the promotes fuel cells, EVs, and other greentech. A ZERO team made the trip in five days in two Hyundai iX35 FCEVs and never once ran out of fuel.
Like any trailblazers the ZERO team encountered some obstacles. First was a station that was out of service. That meant the team had to ferry from Gothenburg, Sweden to Kiel, Germany. Even in Germany, which has some of the world’s most advanced hydrogen infrastructure, stations weren’t open to the public so ZERO had to call ahead and make appointments to refuel. The fuel cell cars came close to running out of hydrogen more than once, highlighting the huge need for advancements in the fueling infrastructure.