Spain's first hydrogen car refuelling point opens

HYDROGEN-POWERED cars are cheaper to run and kinder to the planet, but have so far failed to catch on in Spain – as there has never been anywhere to recharge them. 

In fact, only seven brand-new hydrogen cars were registered in Spain the whole of last year – way below expected, even allowing for lockdown and restrictions on movement.

Now, though, the first recharging station for cars with hydrogen batteries has just opened in Madrid, a joint effort between Toyota Spain, Enagás utility board, Urbaser, Carburos Metálicos, Sumitomo Corporation Spain and the Spanish Confederation of Service Station Owners (CEEES).

It is capable of refuelling up to 12 Toyota Mirai hydrogen cars all at once, with each vehicle taking under five minutes to fully charge – a huge advantage over electric cars, which can take 30 minutes to an hour.

Once refuelled, the Toyota Mirai can be driven for 550 kilometres on average at 155cv without needing a top-up.

The charging station would be suitable for other hydrogen-powered cars, but at present, the Toyota Mirai accounts for six of last year's seven newly-manufactured and purchased vehicles of this type – the only other to have been sold was a Hyundai Nexo, and so far, these are the only two hydrogen models on forecourts in Spain.

For all the above reasons, only 6% of drivers surveyed would consider buying a hydrogen car – lack of charging points and the fact that they remain a very expensive option to purchase, even if not to run, are the most off-putting factors.

A refuelling point in Madrid is not much help to anyone living on the south coast, for example, but it is expected that more of these will start to crop up and may help boost demand for this type of car, in the same way that a rising number of chargers has helped stimulate the market for electrically-powered vehicles.

Still, a third of drivers quizzed would not consider a hydrogen car, according to Cetelem, which carried out the research, nor even an electric or hybrid vehicle, if it meant having to pay considerably more for it than for a traditional petrol or diesel version. 

And at present, a typical hydrogen-battery car costs in excess of €40,000, and it is not uncommon for them to retail at up to €60,000 – a sum of money with which it is perfectly possible to buy a small or even medium-sized apartment on some of Spain's coasts, or even a full-sized one or a small house in inland parts.

These two barriers, if overcome, could lead to a significant hike in demand for 'green-fuelled' cars among those looking to buy brand-new, if the Cetelem study is a faithful indicator of the public's intentions: A total of 44% interviewed believes hydrogen, electric and hybrid vehicles could help dramatically cut air pollution in towns and cities, meaning if sufficient refuelling infrastructure were available and purchase prices fell to a level more in line with traditional motors, these cleaner inventions could begin to take off.