SAE Approves New Commercial Hydrogen Refueling Standards

August 26th, 2014 by Fiedler Group

After thirteen years in the making, SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers) indicated a new hydrogen refueling standard for light-duty vehicles had been agreed to.

SAE International is the global engineering association responsible for setting technical standards for automotive, aerospace, and commercial vehicle industries.

The new set of fueling standards — referred to as SAE J2601 — is for the commercial refueling of hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles, allowing for a three- to five-minute refueling timeframe, which is a similar timeframe needed to fill a vehicle’s tank with gasoline.

The new fueling standard establishes safety limits and performance requirements for hydrogen fuel dispensers and will serve as a global baseline for commercial fueling of electric vehicles.

Fuel cell electric vehicles process hydrogen to produce electricity chemically, without combustion — yielding zero-emission vehicles with no tailpipe pollution.

FCHEA — the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association — hopes SAE’s new standards will help grow new markets for electric vehicles.

FCHEA President and Executive Director, Morry B. Markowitz commented that the new SAE standards “allow FCEV consumers worldwide to consistently fill-up with hydrogen in a short amount of time, a major victory for consumers, and those who support zero-emission vehicles…”

To learn more about the new commercial hydrogen fueling standards visit the SAE website.