Air Products announced on October 8, 2014 that it has signed an agreement to be the hydrogen fuelling station and technology supplier for FirstElement Fuel, Inc.’s initial network of 19 hydrogen fuelling stations to be built throughout California in 2015. The SmartFuel®hydrogen fuelling stations will be supplied to FirstElement Fuel following the company’s success in winning multiple grants through the California Energy Commission’s (CEC)  hydrogen fuelling programme. Air Products will also be the hydrogen supplier for all 19  stations, which will be open to the public at a time when several vehicle manufacturers prepare to launch fuel cell vehicles into the California market in 2015. Commenting, Diana Raine, European Business Manager, Hydrogen Energy Systems, Air Products, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to expand our network of SmartFuel® stations across California, deploying state of the art standardized refueling technology.  Hydrogen fuel has an important role to play in the future transport mix, and its benefits have already been demonstrated by our existing projects, both in California and here in London. Creating this wider network of fuelling stations will allow fuel cell vehicles, when they are deployed on a mass scale, to be put immediately into practical use.“After assessing a variety of equipment technologies and providers, we chose Air Products for their superior performance, and innovation,” said Dr. Tim Brown, Chief Operating Officer  of FirstElement Fuel. “These will be retail stations so their performance needs to be impeccable. Air Products has a proven track record in this industry from both a safety and reliability standpoint.” Beyond the coming network of 19 FirstElement Fuel stations, Air Products has nine existing SmartFuel® stations in the state already fuelling cars in public and private use.