Honda, Toyota trumpet new hydrogen fuel station > Fuel Cell Dispatch

Honda, Toyota trumpet new hydrogen fuel station

Toyota and Honda don't like each other a whole lot, so it was interesting today to see the public-relations duel unfold over the opening of the new Shell hydrogen fueling station down the block from their respective headquarters in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance.

Considering how hard it has been to try to create some sort of fueling infrastructure for hydrogen, it makes you wonder why it took so long to open the new station. Not only is it next to two of the biggest makers/researchers of hydrogen fuel cells, but it taps into a pipeline carrying hydrogen to the nearby oil refineries.

"Building an extensive hydrogen refueling infrastructure is a critical step in the successful market launch of fuel-cell vehicles," said Chris Hostetter, a Toyota group vice president. "We plan to bring a fuel-cell vehicle to market in 2015, or sooner, and the infrastructure must be in place to support our customers' needs."

Los Angeles is home to probably more hydrogen vehicles than anywhere else in the U.S., but the new station is only the seventh in the region. As a result, if hydrogen vehicles ever take off -- and Drive On boldly predicts they won't -- then SoCal is likely to be the place.

It was hard not to chuckle at the rivalry between Toyota's and Honda's press releases.

Toyota noted that it owns the land where the station is situated and leases it for a nominal amount to Shell.

And Honda?

"In an opening ceremony, Honda FCX Clarity (hydrogen vehicle) customer Jon Spallino became the first retail fuel-cell electric vehicle customer to fill at the station," Honda said in its news release.

Sounds like the State Department had to negotiate this one.

Source: Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY