Japan to have 320 hydrogen fueling stations by 2025

Japan's government is boosting the fuel cell vehicle sector in the country with plans to quadruple the number of hydrogen fueling stations by 2025.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will be presenting long-term targets after a discussion with experts on the field. The initial plan includes bringing Japan´s hydrogen fuel station to 160 by 2020 and 320 by 2025, reports Nikkei.

The panel of experts will discuss the measures and costs needed to achieve those goals.

Japan had already set a target of 100 hydrogen fueling stations by this March, falling short by 20 as the country only has 80 stations for fuel cell vehicles.

Due to the elevated costs of constructing a hydrogen fueling station – between $3.54 million and $4.43 million according to Nikkei – the government would hand out significant subsidies and relax regulations which affect regular gas stations such as the self-service restriction.

Pushed by its car manufacturing companies, some of the first in the world to develop hydrogen-powered vehicles, Japan is at the forefront of hydrogen fueling. Last summer, the three Japanese automaker giants, Toyota Motor Company, Nissan Motor Co., and Honda Motor Co. agreed a joint strategy of support for hydrogen station development in Japan. The plan will run until 2020, and is expected to cost a total of 5 billion to 6 billion yen ($40.5 million to $49 million).