PDC Machines and Ivys Energy Solutions plan to construct North America’s largest self-producing commercial hydrogen refueling station.

The hydrogen station, which will be installed at the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (CUMTD) in Illinois, will feed a fleet of 12 New Flyer 60′ zero-emission fuel cell electric buses.

CUMTD will begin with two buses in phase one of the project, with the fleet growing to six and twelve buses in phases two and three. Each of the 12 buses will be filled with 35kg of fuel in 14 minutes.

The aggressive fueling profile resulted in 420kg of total hydrogen supplied in three hours.

The station uses hydrogen produced by a MW-scale PEM electrolyzer to dispense to the buses at 350 bar pressures and -20 degrees Celsius temperatures for a T20 quick fill.