By unhooking the hand nozzle from the bowser at Australia's first public hydrogen station at the back of Fyshwick, and stepping clear as 700 bar of pressured fuel goes down the line, ACT public servants will topping up the largest fleet of hydrogen-powered cars in the country.

After the 20 Hyundai Nexo SUVs sat in Sydney storage for months and the installation of the refuelling infrastructure stalled during the COVID pandemic, the station is finally up and running, setting a zero-emissions transport agenda that Victoria is racing to match next week when Toyota finally opens its refuelling station in Altona.

Hydrogen is seen as the world's most promising "future fuel" for transport, especially for countries like Australia where long distances travelled, a reliance on road haulage, and the delivery of fast refuelling, is vital in keeping the heavy transport economy moving.

The inner city and suburbs might suit the range and recharge restrictions of electric vehicles, but on the Nullabor and beyond, being able to refuel fast and keep freight moving has swung the pendulum firmly toward hydrogen.

However, hydrogen isn't the great leap forward unless it is sourced from 100 per cent renewables. Down in Victoria, Toyota is drawing on solar whereas here in the ACT, the government is using renewable energy from Neoen Australia's wind farm supply.

The delivery of the refuelling station and the supply of the Hyundai Nexo fuel cell electric cars is part of the deal which last year landed Neoen the contract to boost the ACT to its 100 per cent renewable target, drawing energy mostly generated from the Horsndale Wind Farm in South Australia.

The Nexo fuel cell-powered SUVs that will be driving around Canberra in the years ahead are not radical to look at, but the comformist design shrouds production technology in which Hyundai has invested billions of dollars over the past 20 years.

In Australia, a Hyundai Nexo can't be purchased, only leased. The cars feature many clever features, including the ability to filter, purify and dehumidify all the air taken to feed their fuel cell "stacks" then send that pure air back out the exhaust pipe, with just a few dribbles of water as the only byproduct.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: