German industrial gases producer Linde has officially opened what it says is the world's first small-series production facility for hydrogen fuelling stations in Vienna, Austria.

"The successful commercialisation of fuel-cell cars hinges on a sufficiently widespread hydrogen infrastructure," said Linde managing board member Aldo Belloni. "The development of small-series production capabilities is a key milestone on this journey. It gives us the flexibility we need to meet rising demand in different markets."

At the opening ceremony, Linde and Japan's Iwatani Corporation announced that the two companies had closed a deal for the delivery of 28 hydrogen fuelling stations with ionic compressors. The first of these units went on stream on July 14 in Amagasaki near Osaka, Japan.

Akiji Makino, CEO of Iwatani, said his company wants to contribute to the development of Japan's hydrogen energy infrastructure by building on Linde's highly advanced ionic compressor technology

Unlike conventional piston-operated compressors, Linde's IC 90 works with liquid salts. As these ionic liquids do not have a vapor pressure, they do not evaporate or mix with the hydrogen gas. They also eliminate mechanical wear-and-tear and sealing problems inside the cylinders. In addition, the IC 90 increases energy efficiency.

Equipped with a sophisticated safety system and remote diagnosis and maintenance capabilities, Linde said the IC 90 meets all fuelling standards to ensure safe, silent fuelling and can achieve a pressure of 1,000 bar (14,500 psi) if required.

Highlights of the new small-series production concept are said to include a high degree of standardization across all components, which are installed in a compact 14-foot container for ease of transport and integration in existing fuelling stations.

The expansion of production capacity in Vienna to 50 units a year dovetails with the introduction of the first series-produced fuel-cell cars by leading manufacturers such as Hyundai, Toyota, Honda and Daimler between 2014 and 2017. Some experts predict that tens of thousands of fuel-cell cars will be traveling Europe's roads by 2018.