Nearly 5,000 Hydrogen Stations Worldwide Expected by 2032

The global number of hydrogen fuel stations for fuel cell vehicles will jump from 285 last year to 1,300 by 2022 and top 4,800 a decade later, predicts Information Trends.

The Washington, D.C.-based research firm says there were just 115 hydrogen stations worldwide in 2015. In the U.S., the total is expected to more than double this year from 33 to 78 and do so again by 2022 when nearly 200 U.S. stations are forecast. The U.S. is expected to have 1,200 stations by 2032, which would account for one-fourth of the global total.

Most of the current U.S. stations are in California, which is the only state that Toyota, Honda and Hyundai sell their fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Audi and Mercedes-Benz plan to introduce FCVs in about year, while BMW, Kia and Nissan are targeting launches for early next decade.

Outside the U.S., Japan, Korea, Germany and Denmark lead the way in hydrogen installations. Information Trends expects the cost of building and operating hydrogen stations, which currently are much more expensive than electric vehicle charging stations, will drop significantly in coming years.

In a separate report issued last September, Information Trends predicted cumulative global FCV sales will total 20 million units by 2032. By that time, it says annual sales of such vehicles will top 5 million units and rival demand for battery-based electric vehicles.