5 Hydrogen Fueling Station Startups to Watch
The global push towards sustainable energy sources has significantly amplified interest in hydrogen as a clean fuel alternative. Current hydrogen fueling infrastructure consists of traditional stations concentrated in regions with substantial subsidies for renewable energy initiatives.
These stations face numerous challenges, including high setup and operational costs, scalability issues, and the logistic complexities of hydrogen storage and transportation.
New hydrogen fueling stations represent a pivotal advancement over existing solutions by offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels.
These stations utilize hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles, producing only water as a byproduct, thus eliminating tailpipe emissions.
Hydrogen stations can be set up alongside other industrial plants and used for on-site H2 production using waste produced by those plants. Compared to existing stations, these are low-cost and provide safe hydrogen transportation options.
The deployment of more cost-effective hydrogen stations can facilitate the broader adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease dependency on oil.
This article delves into five growth-stage startups working on solutions to expand and enhance the hydrogen fueling infrastructure. These startups have the potential to grow rapidly, are in a good market position, or can introduce game-changing technology to the market in the next 2-3 years.
This makes them a great option to partner, collaborate, or acquire.
1. Hyfluence Providing fueling equipment from Cars to Marine Applications
| Founding Year | 2022 |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, BC, Canada |
| Total Funding Amount | – |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-Seed/$1.7 Million |
| Website | https://www.hyfluence.co/ |
Carbon pollution is a significant challenge in the environmental sector, with one-third originating from the transportation sector, particularly trucking, which is difficult to decarbonize through electrification.
The urgency to find sustainable energy solutions has led to a focus on hydrogen as a vital component of the clean energy transition, especially in the transportation and industrial sectors.
The potential global scale-up of clean hydrogen could generate substantial economic and employment benefits alongside a notable reduction in global emissions.
Hyfluence addresses these challenges by designing, producing, and servicing high-reliability hydrogen fueling equipment suitable for various modes of transport, including cars, trucks, buses, rail, and marine applications.
Its offerings range from complete hydrogen refueling stations for heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles to hydrogen dispensers, tube trailer filling systems, and mobile/containerized infrastructure. This comprehensive range ensures accessibility and convenience in hydrogen fueling.
Hyfluence’s end-to-end integration and testing of all key subsystems, from compression packages to dispensers and cooling systems, ensures maximum reliability, performance, and user-friendliness.
The startup’s innovative compression architecture enhances fault tolerance and simplifies maintenance, all within a compact footprint. This approach, coupled with extensive component pre-qualification and a focus on system resilience and redundancy, positions Hyfluence as a leader in efficient and reliable hydrogen fueling solutions, setting a new standard in the industry.
CEO and co-founder Ron Klopfer is leading the startup. He has experience as CEO (Etalim Inc.), consultant, and VP of Business Development. Klopfer holds an MBA from Queen’s University, Canada.
Hyfluence has raised funding of $1.7 Million from a Pre-Seed round on May 1, 2023.
2. Kaizen Clean Energy Converting Renewable Methanol to On-site Green Hydrogen
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarter | Tomball, Texas, United States |
| Total Funding Amount | $3 Million |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | $3 Million/Venture |
| Website | https://kaizencleanenergy.com/ |
Zero-emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure has high costs and reliability issues. There are also differences in DC fast charging rates and the marketed vs. actual hydrogen fuel costs. The gap in Hydrogen’s price is due to the buildup costs like CAPEX, OPEX, Transportation, and Gas Station infrastructure.
Kaizen Clean Energy aims to reduce hydrogen fuel costs and improve the reliability of fuel supply and EV charging by eliminating midstream costs, producing hydrogen on-site, and providing scalable, lease-based fueling stations without the need for permanent infrastructure.
Its approach disrupts the ZEV market by leveraging hydrogen generation technology to offer cost-effective Hydrogen as a Service (HaaS) and Energy as a Service (EaaS) solutions.
Its hydrogen fueling system produces up to 200 kg of hydrogen daily at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.
KCE offers H2 Fuelling Stations, Hydrogen Powered Generators, and Hydrogen-Powered Microgrids.
Three co-founders—Robert Meaney, Eric Smith (CCO), and Craig Klaasmeyer (CFO)—are leading the KCE on the path forward.
The startup raised $3M from a Venture round on December 28, 2023, led by Balcor Companies.
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3. H2 Mobility Fueling Germany with Green Hydrogen Stations
| Founding Year | 2015 |
| Headquarter | Berlin, Germany |
| Total Funding Amount | €110 Million |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | €110 Million/Venture |
| Website | https://h2-mobility.de/ |
The transportation sector’s shift towards sustainable, clean energy solutions is hampered by the lack of infrastructure to support alternative fuels like hydrogen, which offers a cleaner, efficient, and long-range mobility option without the drawbacks of extended charging times or reduced payload capacity.
To tackle this, H2 MOBILITY has established an extensive hydrogen refueling station network across Germany and Austria, facilitating the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs).
This network provides quick and efficient refueling at various pressure levels (700 bar and 350 bar) to accommodate a range of vehicles, from passenger cars to commercial fleets. It has certification of 70% green hydrogen usage.
In 2023, H2 MOBILITY Deutschland, under new leadership by Lorenz Jung (CCO & MD), Martin Jüngel (CFO & MD), and Frank Fronzke (CCO & MD), aims to enhance its hydrogen infrastructure, with Nikolas Iwan (Founder & MD) transitioning to Advisory Board Chairman.
The startup raised €110 million on March 28, 2022, from a Venture—Series Unknown round.
H2 MOBILITY is funded by the Ministry of Digital and Transport and the European Commission. Additional support comes from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, Hydrogen Europe, and the Hydrogen Europe Research Association.
4. Azolla Hydrogen Providing Biodrome Hydrogen Generators and Fueling Stations
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarter | Alberta, Canada |
| Total Funding Amount | Publicly Not Disclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Angel Investor |
| Website | https://www.azollahydrogen.com |
Producing low-GHG hydrogen without traditional power sources or fossil fuels aims to reduce carbon footprints but has challenges. These include high costs, the need for advanced technologies, scalability issues at initial stages, and a lack of established hydrogen distribution and storage infrastructure. It also requires significant investment for a system as convenient as fossil fuel networks.
With its Biodrome technology, Azolla Hydrogen offers on-site hydrogen production infrastructure, fueling stations, bio-methanol supply for production units, remote power installations, and hydrogen integration consultancy. Its AZ225 Biodrome offers a robust on-site hydrogen production solution capable of producing 225 kg/day.
CEO Jared Sayers is leading this hydrogen infrastructure startup with his team of experts. He holds an Executive MBA from Ivey Business School at Western University. Sayers has experience in presidential and CEO roles with different companies, including HIVE Innovations and Flexxcore Technology Solutions.
The startup raised its last funding on 24 Jan 2022 through an Angel Investor.
5. Hiringa Energy Refueling Road Frieghts to Aviation and Marines
| Founding Year | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Taranaki, New Zealand |
| Total Funding Amount | Undisclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Undisclosed |
| Website | https://www.hiringaenergy.com/ |
Traditional fossil fuels pose environmental and logistical challenges in transport and industrial applications. These fuels contribute to carbon emissions and environmental degradation.
The absence of a reliable and extensive supply network hinders the transition to alternative energy sources.
Hiringa has developed a comprehensive green hydrogen infrastructure encompassing hydrogen production, distribution, and refueling. It utilizes electrolysis powered by renewable energy to produce hydrogen directly at refueling stations.
This process involves splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then compressed, stored, and dispensed for use in heavy vehicles.
The infrastructure supports various applications, including road freight, aviation, marine, construction, and power generation.
Hiranga’s technology and infrastructure facilitate on-site hydrogen production, eliminating the need for extensive transport and reducing the carbon footprint. Its refueling stations are strategically located to serve high-demand areas, such as ports and airports, ensuring accessibility and reliability.
Co-founder and CEO Andrew Clennett leads Hiringa and its team in creating a green fuel economy.
Andrew has 26+ years of experience in the energy sector. He is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and contributes to the NZHydrogen Council board.
His extensive experience includes roles as a former Shell Todd Oil Services director and trustee with Energy Skills NZ. Andrew holds an Honours degree in mechanical and electrical engineering from the University of Tasmania.
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Authored By: Naveen Kumar, Market Research
