Exploding hydrogen station leads to FCV halt

Toyota and Hyundai have suspended sales of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in Norway following a hydrogen refuelling station explosion there.

The company running the station has halted operations at its other locations there too.

The Uno-X hydrogen station in Sandvika in Bærum exploded on Monday and resulted in two injuries in a nearby non-fuel cell vehicle, Electrek reports.

Police say the explosion triggered airbags in the affected vehicle.

The refuelling network has been shut down while the explosion cause is investigated.

“It is too early to speculate on the cause and what has gone wrong,” hydrogen refuelling station operating company Nel Hydrogen’s chief executive officer Jon André Løkke says.

“Our top priority is the safe operation of the stations we have delivered. As a precaution, we have temporarily put 10 other stations in standby mode in anticipation of more information.”

With the hydrogen refuelling network out, Hyundai and Toyota say they are temporarily stopping FCV sales in Norway, also until they know the explosion cause.

Toyota Norway manager Espen Olsen says loan vehicles will be offered Toyota Mirai FCV customers there in the meantime as they cannot refuel with hydrogen.

However, Toyota insists the situation won’t change its FCV outlook, saying that they are at least as safe as ordinary cars, Electrek reports.

Hyundai, which also provides FCVs in Norway, has made similar announcements.