Saudi Aramco and industrial gases company, Air Products, have opened the Saudi Arabias first hydrogen fuelling station at Air Products new Technology Centre at the Dhahran Techno Valley Science Park.
The pilot station will fuel a fleet of six Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicles with high-purity compressed hydrogen, initially.
According to a statement from the company, Air Products proprietary SmartFuel hydrogen fuelling technology will be incorporated into the new station to supply the vehicles with compressed hydrogen. It is expected that the fleet of Toyota Mirai vehicles will have a driving range of 500 km with water as their only emission and the ability to be fuelled in five minutes.
Amin H Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, said: [This] is an important step in making oil-to-hydrogen a reality as we continue to be focused on creating breakthrough technologies and solutions as part of our long term efforts to reduce carbon emissions and address climate concerns.
Meanwhile, Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and CEO of Air Products, said: It is well known that our world needs a sustainable system to address environmental challenges while also meeting growing energy demand. Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are well positioned to be part of the solution.
We are honoured to collaborate with Saudi Aramco to establish and develop a sustainable, hydrocarbon-based hydrogen supply system for fuel cell vehicles in Saudi Arabia, he added.
The statement also added that the new fuelling stations will combine Saudi Aramcos industrial and technological experience with Air Products know-how and experience in hydrogen fuelling.
The announcement comes amid growing international recognition of hydrogens benefits. This initiative demonstrates the potential of hydrogen fuelled vehicles to make a significant contribution to a clean, secure, and affordable energy future, the statement added.
