NanoSUN has successfully completed its Shell GameChanger program by safely and efficiently filling up the tank of a hydrogen powered vehicle with its mobile Pioneer Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRS).
Its concept of a low-cost, mobile HRS met a key need if hydrogen is to become a prevalent transport fuel. Keen to prove the concept, NanoSUN took on the challenge to build a mobile HRS capable of storing 350 kg of hydrogen and to use it to dispense the gas into a hydrogen powered vehicle.
The partnership with Shell enabled NanoSUN to design, construct and now operate the Pioneer HRS: a fully mobile, self-contained and automated hydrogen-refueling station. It offers an affordable way of delivering transportation-grade hydrogen to the point of use. Capital cost is significantly lower than a fixed HRS, as no compressor is required for dispensing the gas.
In NanoSUN’s vision, hydrogen is best produced in large, centralized plants, where complex chemical-engineering operations can take advantage of economies of scale. High-pressure hydrogen gas can then be delivered to the point of use via the Pioneer HRS, where it is dispensed directly into fuel-cell-powered vehicles.
The company will continue to demonstrate the Pioneer HRS in a number of different deployments throughout 2021 for a range of different end-user requirements.