Ampol, Hyundai Australia, Pacific Energy and Toyota Australia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.
The companies are all considered leading proponents of fuel cell technology.
Under the agreement, the companies will have an opportunity to work together on building Australia’s growing hydrogen economy.
Both Hyundai and Toyota currently have fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) fleets operating in Australia today, while Ampol and Pacific Energy are heavily investing in energy solutions to support customers through the energy transition.
“Hydrogen can play an important role in delivering decarbonisation benefits for transport and developing the right infrastructure to support a successful rollout is key,” said Ampol Managing Director and CEO, Matt Halliday.
“The MOU establishes a collaborative working relationship between the parties, who are all required to develop the necessary hydrogen ecosystem to make hydrogen use as a transport fuel feasible.”
The goal of the MOU is to combine the expertise and capabilities of each of the partners to help develop hydrogen refuelling stations for FCEVs in Canberra.
Hyundai deployed 23 NEXO Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles into Canberra as a partner in the ACT Government’s hydrogen station project in 2021.
It was the first hydrogen refueller of its kind in Australia according to Ted Lee, Hyundai Australia CEO.
“Our consortium partners have a great track record of deploying energy and refuelling infrastructure, along with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” he said.
“Hyundai looks forward to working with our experienced partner companies and the broader government and business community in the ACT to help the transition to a cleaner and greener transport future.”
Pacific Energy Chief Executive Officer, Jamie Cullen, said the company was pleased to be a part of the consortium of like-minded organisations, which he said is driven to decarbonise the transport sector and make Australia’s H2 ecosystem a success.
“Our purpose at Pacific Energy is to transition the world to a clean energy future. To be successful, we know we must collectively lean into bold opportunities that help accelerate our journey towards net zero, and we know hydrogen and zero emissions vehicles play an important role in this approach,” he said.
Toyota has been expanding its hydrogen capability in Australia since 2018.
It began with local trials of its Mirai FCEV sedan before the establishment of Victoria’s first hydrogen production, storage and refuelling facility.
“This month, we announced plans to locally assemble and distribute the EODev GEH2 fuel cell generator in Australia and this joint collaboration announced today provides further opportunities to explore and grow this vital technology,” said Toyota Australia President and CEO, Matthew Callachor.
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