South Korea to allow drivers to refuel hydrogen by themselves

Current regulations prevent drivers from refueling their own vehicles due to the high volatility of hydrogen and government regulations.

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.

According to a report by local news site Aju Business Daily, the Korean government has been working on easing these regulations to encourage H2 vehicle adoption for some years now. These efforts are part of the RE100 initiative, which seeks to source 100% of electricity consumption from renewables and accelerate the transition to zero-carbon grids.

The local government is set to revise these regulations this year in order to stay on track of its roadmap for hydrogen advancement.