Major oil and gas companies in Japan are getting ready for the 2015 rollout of commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In April 2013, the first fueling station in Japan, operated by JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, to offer both gasoline and compressed hydrogen gas went live.
According to the Japan Times, “Oil distributors have started to establish hydrogen station networks, while the government is set to provide financial assistance and is considering deregulation to make it easier to set up the fuel supply networks …
“…It’s possible that fuel cell vehicles might replace electric vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp. Vice Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada says. Toyota and Honda Motor Co. plan to release mass-market fuel cell vehicles in 2015, and Nissan Motor Co. will follow suit in 2017 …”
“…By 2015, 13 companies including automakers and oil distributors aim to establish a total of 100 hydrogen supply bases, mainly in major cities. JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp., one of the 13 firms, installed its first hydrogen supply equipment at a gas station in the city of Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, in April. The firm aims to set up such equipment at 40 places.”
I’ve talked many times about Japan being far ahead of the U. S. in regard to developing infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cell cars. Not only do the Japanese carmakers take hydrogen fueled vehicles seriously but so do the government and hydrogen suppliers and manufacturers as well.