France's Air Liquide builds hydrogen fuel station in Japan for taxis

Adoption of fuel cell vehicles slowed by lack of infrastructure

Air Liquide will open this hydrogen refueling station in Kobe on May 10. (Photo courtesy of Air Liquide)

ARATA SHIGENO and AKIHIRO OTA, Nikkei staff writers

May 9, 2023 11:31 JST

TOKYO -- French industrial gas supplier Air Liquide built a hydrogen refueling station in Japan that opens Wednesday to serve fuel cell vehicle taxis, a move intended to promote the adoption of environmentally friendly FCVs among commercial vehicles.

Air Liquide converted a liquefied petroleum (LP) gas station in Kobe into a hydrogen refueling station. The location has been operated by the Kobe MK taxi service, and it appears to be the first hydrogen refueling station for cabs in Japan.