South Korea will allow drivers of hydrogen vehicles to refuel them by themselves at urban hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) by 2024.
The announcement was made recently by the government after unveiling a roadmap of regulatory reforms and goals to drive hydrogen mobility across the country. Currently, it is forbidden to self-charge vehicles at HRS due to the risks that H2’s high volatility represents.
Today’s Korean HRS need to be built 12 to 32 meters away from their surrounding facilities and many safety devices are to be installed at the site for protective measures. The government aims to ease such regulations so that urban hydrogen facilities can be built, which also means letting drivers self-charge their vehicles.