Coca-Cola is introducing the world’s first hydrogen-powered vending machine at World Expo 2025 in Osaka Japan next month. This new vending machine was developed by Fuji Electric, and does not need a power outlet at all. Giving a whole new meaning to cutting the cord. It instead uses a replaceable hydrogen cartridge to fuel a chemical reaction that will then generate electricity.
As you can see from the picture above, these hydrogen-powered vending machines will have a slightly larger footprint thanks to the additional generator that is located on the side of the machine. This is where the hydrogen cartridges live, as well as where the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen happens. Which then generates power and stores it in the battery.
Coca-Cola says that they will install 58 vending machines at the Expo, each of which will show an informational display to educate everyone on how hydrogen power works.
Could hydrogen-powered vending machines be more realistic than hydrogen-powered cars?
Hydrogen isn’t new to powering large things. Toyota has actually making a Hydrogen-powered car, the Mirai, since 2014. It’s mostly sold in California, where there are actually hydrogen-filling stations available. Unlike an EV that just needs an outlet, a hydrogen car needs a special pump to fill the tank, and it also isn’t as simple as filling your gas tank. Though, the Mirai is able to go up to 400 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. It’s not necessarily cheaper than gasoline, but it is definitely better for the environment.
Surprisingly, the Mirai continues to gain traction in California and in Europe. Though, it’s unlikely to really take off globally.
However, a hydrogen-powered vending machine could. As this means the vending machine could be placed virtually anywhere, and wouldn’t be subject to a power outage. Debuting this in Japan makes sense, as vending machines are huge there. There are over five million vending machines in Japan, which works out to about one for every 23 people. Japan also has some of the most interesting vending machines in the world.
