Hydrogen presents the same, if not fewer, hazards than other fuels due to its non-toxic and low-volatility characteristics. Since hydrogen is 14x lighter than air and 57x lighter than gasoline vapor, it will typically rise and disperse rapidly when leaked, greatly reducing the risk of ignition at ground-level.
— Hydrogen is nontoxic, unlike conventional fuels. A hydrogen leak or spill will not contaminate the environment or threaten the health of humans or wildlife, as fossil fuels can.
— The air around the flame of hydrogen is not as hot as around a gasoline flame. Therefore, the risk of a secondary fire is lower.
— While hydrogen can be explosive with oxygen concentrations between 18% and 59%, gasoline can be explosive at oxygen concentrations between 1% and 3%. Meanwhile, gasoline has an autoignition temperature of 280°C, which is half that of H2 535°C.
— Vehicles with pressurized gas storage tanks are not new. There is an existing global multibillion-dollar industry that has been making and transporting hydrogen for many decades.
— Hydrogen fueling dispensers are designed to run multiple safety checks in both the dispensing equipment and the vehicle during the fueling process (start, midpoint, end).
— Country-specific hydrogen fueling station codes have been developed in 22 countries and include CSA (Canadian Standards), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and EN (European Standards).
