Linde North America has announced it has joined the US Department of Energy’s newly formed H2USA – a partnership focused on advancing hydrogen fuelling infrastructure for US consumers.

The mission of H2USA is to promote the commercial introduction and widespread adoption of fuel cell electrical vehicles (FCEVs) across America through creation of a public-private collaboration to overcome the hurdle of establishing hydrogen infrastructure.

Pat Murphy, president of Linde North America, said, “Linde has long been a leader in developing alternative fuel technologies. We believe this DOE-led effort to create a consortium of like-minded public/private entities will accelerate the advancement of both fuel cell vehicles and the infrastructure required to expand their use throughout the US H2USA’s mission is consistent with Linde’s global goals for hydrogen fueled vehicles and mirrors Linde efforts to develop efficient hydrogen fuelling solutions in the US.”

Linde is a leader in the safe production, storage and distribution of hydrogen. Linde has equipped more than 80 hydrogen fuelling stations around the world, supplying hydrogen for projects large and small.

Earlier this year, hydrogen fuelling stations using Linde fueling technology in the US passed the half-million mark in fills powering a variety of vehicles, including forklifts, cars and buses. One of the major contributors to this milestone is BMW Manufacturing at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the company powers its entire hydrogen fuel cell fleet of more than 280 forklift trucks to service the plant’s production and logistics functions, making it one of the largest fuel cell forklift sites in the world.

In the San Francisco Bay area, Linde hydrogen stations have been fuelling a dozen fuel cell buses for AC Transit since 2010. At AC Transit, the largest hydrogen bus fueling operation in the US, Linde is showing that it is possible to fuel fuel-cell cars and buses as fast and conveniently as with gasoline or diesel today.

“We believe Linde is building the expertise to deliver new, economical and sustainable energy solutions that contribute to a greener world and cleaner environment,” said Mike Beckman, vice president of Linde’s US hydrogen fueling team. “We’ve been working with a variety of stakeholders, associations like the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association, OEMs and government agencies, promoting clean energy solutions. We are truly excited to join H2USA to help extend these efforts nationally.”