In order to achieve a reliable energy transition, it is necessary to involve a wide range of scientific fields: humanities, earth sciences, life sciences, and economics, while putting the end-user at the center of the technology development. The University of Lorraine, as part of the ULHyS (Universite De Lorraine Hydrogen Science et Technologies) project, brings together ten laboratories around five topics of research ranging from hydrogen production to geographical deployment. In this context, several ULHys Members were invited to the hydrogen filling stations FaHyence in Sarreguemines.
FaHyence, inaugurated in April 2017, is the first fueling station in Europe to produce hydrogen on-site using green electricity generated by renewable energies and delivered by Electricity of France. The site can produce 40 kg of hydrogen a day. This is equivalent to the daily needs of 20-25 vehicles at charging pressures of 350-420 bar.
Authorized by the Society EIFER, this sketch of a filling station is published. Author is provided
The range of 350km without greenhouse gas emissions
The HyWay hydrogen fuel station in France has been operating since the summer of 2018 at the CEA site (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), and two more are currently under construction in Rodez and Nantes. FaHyence was developed in collaboration with EDF, EIFER, and McPhy. Symbio Fcell also participated. To ensure the regular operation of this gas station, ten hydrogen vehicles are running in the urban conglomeration. These include Electric Kangoo ZEs (Renault), equipped by Symbio with a fuel cell acting as a range extender. Fuel cells of the PEM type (polymer electrolyte membrane), which run on pure hydrogen, are able to reach a range of 350 km. This is thanks to a 33kWh lithium-ion battery with a capacity of up to 200 km and a 5kWh PEMFC with a range of up to 150 km.
The CASC will allow any vehicle, whether it is French, European, or International, that runs on hydrogen to make a charge after a simple authorization application. This has one obvious advantage: the hydrogen refilling is free. In the meantime, other professionals in the conglomerate have bought nine additional utility cars, and several German and Belgian private users have filled their reservoirs in Sarreguemines.
FaHyence is part of the European project FCH JU, funded by the European program H2ME (Hydrogen Mobility Europe), which aims to deploy 49 hydrogen filling stations and 1,400 vehicles in the EU by 2020. Hydrogen, along with electricity and biomethane, is the third phase of FaHyence’s sustainable mobility project. This is a living laboratory that’s a clear application of hydrogen technology.
A full tank in four minutes flat
The user’s learning process to use the filling device has been smooth. The familiar interface and similarity to the conventional fossil fuel systems allowed for a rapid adaptation. The interface is still in need of improvement, as are the interactions and ergonomics. However, the basic operation remains unchanged. The four-minute filling of a vehicle with hydrogen is more than acceptable compared to the hours required to charge conventional battery-based vehicles.
The station is equipped with an alkaline electrolyser that can produce 1.8 kilograms per hour. This requires 50 liters of water for every kilogram of hydrogen. The station also has a two-level compression system, with the first level reaching pressures as high as 30 bar and the second equipped with a cooling loop down to -20 degC, allowing forces to reach up to 420 bars. This device has two main advantages. The first is the ability to fill electric vehicles with hydrogen at 700 bar pressure, which ranges up to 450km (for FCVs such as Toyota Mirai and Honda Clarity Fuel Cell). Second, the cooling system allows for a faster filling process. This is a great advantage as it reduces the time required to fill the vehicle to just four minutes.
A gas station that is under-utilized but could be competitive
Christian Hector is the head of Cofluences’ technical service and the initiator of FaHyence. He says that “hydrogen technology alone is not a limiting factor.” The electrolyzer is the most restrictive element. The station is clearly underutilized, with an average of only 2% of its nominal capacity per day. The cost per filling is too high for it to be competitive. The cost per kilogram of hydrogen varies depending on the local conditions. At Sarreguemines, it is around 10EUR per kilogram, and the average national price is about 6EUR. It is important to note that 1 kg of hydrogen can travel 100 km.
To make the station cost-effective, 30 vehicles would need to fill their tanks every day. Hector says that the project was not motivated by economic gain. The purpose of the project was to test cross-border electric mobility and to validate the technical reliability of a hydrogen fuel station with an on-site electrolyzer. The future of the station is uncertain, and its financial support will end in 2020. However, Hector and the team of green mobility at the CASC have achieved the goals.
