On December 15, 2014, Iwatani has decided to carry out a joint demonstrative experiment with Honda Motor and Kita-Kyushu City of the packaged type hydrogen (H2) station loaded with a high-pressure electrolysis system which was developed solely by Honda and set up in Kita-Kyushu’s recycling facilities. The attendants at the opening ceremony on the day were Masami Makise, executive director of Iwatani, Yoshiharu Yamamoto, director and executive officer of Honda and Kenji Kitahashi, mayor of Kits-Kyushu City as well as the guests including those from the Local Assembly, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

This H2 station is a small-packaged system controlling an energy consumption down to 20% of the conventional equipment without a compressor, and its main components like accumulator and dispenser are mounted in 10ft-container size. Taking the three capital letters of Simple, Small and Sustainable, they call it “3S” or “Smart H2” station. With the main components prefabricated in the plant, it takes only one day to install on the site. The H2 generation capacity is about 1.8 kg per day. As an FCV is loaded with 5 kg of H2, it takes about three days to generate H2 for one FCV. The accumulating system stores about 18 kg of H2. However, it is impossible to fill up an FCV having a tank of 70MPa capacity because the said station’s maximum generation pressure is 35MPa. They say there are more technological and cost-wise issues to solve to respond to requirements for 70MPa filling.

Nonetheless, they are confident to expect utilization of the system to make up for a gap in the infrastructure building in the predawn era of FCV on the ground that the system can secure low cost, space saving and easier compliance with the applicable laws (only registration will do without any approval of the relevant agency) comparing with the current full-specification H2 station of stationary type. There is no planning to commercialize it yet at the moment, but in the future they intend to sell the type at a price of one tenths of the current stationary type. In September 2014 Iwatani and Honda set up the first unit in the East Environment Center of Ohmiya, Saitama Prefecture where a demonstrative test is on the way now. Therefore they have the second one now.

Honda of automobile manufacturer has started to develop electrically-driven mobility to keep user’s pleasure of moving and is pursuing developments with keywords of “generate,” “use” and “connect” regarding H2 energy. The high-pressure electrolysis H2 generation system at this time takes the role of “Generate” out of the three keywords, and is aimed at realization of a carbon-free hydrogen in use of electricity from a reusable energy.

The Eco-town Center of Kita-Kyushu City for the installed demonstrative facilities is a base to send information of the eco-town business where recycling promoted by the city and the environment-friendly industries are integrated. The Smart H2 Station will serve H2 filling for the FCVs owned by the city using the power generated by the 10kW solar batteries provided in the center. In the demonstrative test Iwatani will be engaged in construction and management of the station and also in the collection of data.