> Also such a facility costs at least $1mln and is unlikely to ever get much cheaper.

How much does a conventional gas station cost? I would expect several hundred thousand, at least.

A more relevant question is how much does a single gas pump or EV charging station cost. A gas station can easily have a dozen pumps for ~500k.

> EV charging station cost.

A commercial-grade Level 1 charger (US domestic 110V 15 amp), if they even exist anymore, is probably on the order of $1000 or less - if it breaks buy a no-name replacement from Alibaba until it catches fire.

A professionally-installed Level 2 charger without any payment system infrastructure - so one that's basically free-to-use and taps directly off your AC service-panel at 240V 50-90A will cost about $750-2000 including installation by an electrician - most states offer generous tax-deductions for this btw.

A Level 2 charger that's part of some charger network, like Chargepoint... I've no idea. The hardware looks nice (i.e. expensive) but I'm unsure who pays the cost of the hardware and installation (is it the landowner or is there a cost-sharing deal with the network operator?)

Level 3 chargers... we're talking a minimum 5-figure amount for even a single-stall set-up: as you need a huge (literally: easily 3x3x6 foot) DC transformer appliance for each pair of charging stalls (hidden behind a fence around the corner), connections to seriously high-power mains electricity (imagine a 16-stall Supercharger: that's 8 DC transformers doing ~120kW each: that's 2MW!) in addition to the aesthetically designed car-connector party. According to this article from 2013 (so it's already 8 years out-of-date) Tesla pays $100-200k towards a station, I'm unsure what the cost-split is, but I'd be surprised if the total cost overall was under $250k imo - I also wouldn't be surprised (still) if simply land-use-rights was the majority share: https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/26/inside-teslas-supercharger...

Hydrogen tanks can also have multiple outlets (I get that they are more expensive than gas outlets, but the tank is presumably a large part of the hydrogen station cost).

If a 1 million dollar instillation can’t keep up with continuous 3 minute fill ups then it’s going to need significant extra hardware to have enough throughput for multiple pumps.

Why would you assume that? Electrochemical compressors, as well as high pressure vessels, are rapidly declining in cost. Fuel station grade electrochemical compressors were ~$1M ten years ago, $300k five years ago, and about $150k today.

Compare that to hooking up to a grid, costwise. All the H2 equipment is 20x more I'd guess than a charging station for an EV.

All the other H2 issues aside, you're competing with a good, established logistic network in EVs: the grid.

H2 is like any new nuke: you're 10 years out with a ton of subsidy and investment from being a player against the EVs of TODAY. Your price targets to compete will have to anticipate 5-10 years of accumulated economies of scale, tech improvements, etc in EV/grid/alternative energy/storage.

I'd be shocked if a bank would float capital to support that given the uncertainty. Just like I'd be shocked if a bank would float financing to a new major fossil fuel development. It might be BANNED in under a decade.

You can't just "use the grid"...existing grid connections can't handle the load. You have to have high voltage lines run direct. Just the equipment to receive and distribute a high voltage connection, you're talking ~$150k. Then another $60k per charger. And before you can even consider installing anything, you have to have lines run specifically for your station, which can often be several miles. That's definitely not cheap.

So no...hydrogen infrastructure is not 20x more. It's probably slightly more expensive than an urban charging station, but significantly cheaper than a rural charging station. And remember: electrical infrastructure is mature...it's not going to get significantly cheaper any time soon. Batteries are the innovation driving EV growth, not the grid.

The only thing that is unambiguously more expensive is the fuel. And it always will be more expensive...but prices are going down constantly. If it costs $100 to drive a truck across the US, why would it matter if it costs $200 to do the same with hydrogen, especially if it means not having to stop for hours at a time to recharge?

You might be right about the grid enhancement, but the rural stations will generally be served by alternative energy that can only be placed in ... rural areas.

The midwest of the US is generally wind-rich. The south and southeast will be solar-rich.