Podcast
With WA’s long transport routes, heavy industry and emerging hydrogen production projects, WA is quickly becoming one of the country’s most important testing grounds for hydrogen-powered transport.
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Published
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As Western Australia transitions toward cleaner transport, EVs continue to dominate the conversation. But according to Hyundai’s Senior Manager of Future Mobility, Scott Nargar, the road ahead won’t be powered by a single technology. Hydrogen is likely to play a crucial complementary role, particularly in a country as vast and freight-reliant as ours.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles function much like EVs, producing electricity to power a motor, but instead of storing energy in large batteries, they carry hydrogen in high-pressure tanks. The result is impressive: refuelling takes just three to five minutes, with driving ranges of up to 700 kilometres. For heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses, the advantages are even clearer. A hydrogen truck can refuel in under 12 minutes and return to the road for another long haul, making it far better suited to long-distance freight than today’s battery technologies.
There are environmental benefits too. Hydrogen vehicles emit only water and, remarkably, purify the air as they drive. Filtering out 99.9% of ultra-fine particulates before releasing clean air back into the environment.
In WA, hydrogen vehicles are slowly gaining traction outside of their trial phases. Several ex-government Hyundai NEXOs from the ACT are now heading west, joining fleets linked to Woodside’s new hydrogen station and other industry partners preparing for early adoption. Toyota previously deployed a fleet of Mirais across Perth with organisations like Woodside, Fortescue and ATCO, helping demonstrate how hydrogen fits into day-to-day operations. And with hydrogen trucks already earmarked for use on key freight routes, starting with a Coregas truck running off Woodside’s Perth site, WA is quickly becoming one of the country’s most important testing grounds for hydrogen-powered transport.
The challenge isn’t the technology though, it’s the infrastructure. Australia currently has only a limited number of hydrogen refuelling stations, with only two in WA – one in Jandakot and the other in the Pilbara, but building a reliable network requires clusters of stations rather than isolated sites. Encouragingly, modular and mobile refuelling units are beginning to appear, offering a flexible pathway to scale the network where demand grows first.
With WA’s long transport routes, heavy industry and emerging hydrogen production projects, the state is well placed to lead this shift. And as more hydrogen trucks, buses and fleet vehicles arrive, Australia edges closer to a future where battery EVs and hydrogen vehicles work side by side, each doing what they do best to support a cleaner, more resilient transport system.
To learn more about the future of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in WA, listen to the full episode of our interview with Scott on the Horizons by RAC podcast.
00:00 Introduction to Hydrogen Vehicles
00:39 Hydrogen's Potential in Australia's Transport
01:52 Understanding Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
05:31 Current Market and Infrastructure Challenges
08:49 Hydrogen vs. Electric Vehicles: A Comparative Analysis
16:23 Safety and Public Perception of Hydrogen Vehicles
18:36 Hydrogen's Role in WA and Future Prospects
25:10 Collaborative Efforts and Infrastructure Development
30:18 Redundancy in Hydrogen Infrastructure
33:11 Modular and Scalable Hydrogen Stations
36:14 Hyundai NEXO: The Flagship Hydrogen Vehicle
38:56 Hydrogen Vehicles in Government and Industry
44:50 Hydrogen Society and Future Prospects
48:35 Government Support and Policy for Hydrogen
51:08 Future of Hydrogen and EVs in Australia
56:04 Conclusion and Industry Evolution
