With a ground-breaking ceremony, Hawaii started the construction of its first public fuelling station for hydrogen vehicles, enabling the state to start selling hydrogen-fuelled cars by 2018.

With a ground-breaking ceremony, Hawaii started the construction of its first public fuelling station for hydrogen vehicles, enabling the state to start selling hydrogen-fuelled cars by 2018.

The station will be located in Mapunapuna and follows Toyota’s recent release of the Mirai- Toyota landmark hydrogen vehicle.

Honolulu-based Servco Pacific is responsible for the construction works, which are estimated to be completed by early 2018.

The initiative is brought by the collaboration of Servco Pacific with Toyota, with the first supplying Toyota hydrogen-vehicles to Hawaii.

Mark Fukunaga, Chairman and CEO of Servco Pacific Inc. said: “Servco’s construction of Oahu’s first publicly accessible hydrogen station demonstrates our belief in the potential for fuel cell vehicles in Hawaii”, adding “Hydrogen vehicles offer zero carbon emissions and zero compromise on fast refuelling and driving range”.

David Ige, Hawaii’s Governor said: "I really do see today's event as the beginning of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Hawaii”.

The cost of the hydro station is not revealed, but Servco Pacific is building the multi-million project without any grants or public funding.

What is revealed though, is that the company considers selling the Mirai for approximately $55,000- a price which will probably include the supply of hydrogen fuel for three years.

Osserman said: "I look at this as a huge, watershed event, because if there are no vehicles, you can't get stations, and if there are no stations, you can't get vehicles- Toyota and Servco brought both".

As Fukunaga said, the Toyota Mirai can go for 312 miles before it needs to refuel, which will take five minutes.

“It is about as environmentally friendly as a vehicle can be’, adding: "Sometimes you have to bet on the future and we all know that staying purely with a fossil fuel environment is not something that's responsible or sustainable".

Morry Markowitz, President of the Washington-based Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, said that there are approximately 1,600 hydrogen vehicles in the US and 38 fuelling stations, with both mainly located in California- with some in Connecticut and Massachusetts too.

Hawaii aims to meet 100 per cent of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2045.

However, ground transportation is not included in this target, as a bill aiming to extend the goal to vehicles was unsuccessful in the latest legislation session.

"If we truly are committed to a 100 per cent clean energy future, then transportation is a big challenge," Ige said.