FCEV driving away with the dispenser hose

A driver of a fuel cells vehicle terminated the refuelling and drove away without disconnecting the fueling hose from its vehicle.

The breakaway of the fueling hose was supposed to open, but did not. The receptacle fitting sheared off the vehicle.

The hydrogen contained in the hose between the dispenser shutoff valve and the vehicle check valve was released.

The INITIATING CAUSE was the tearing of the hose and the braking of the receptacle fitting on the vehicle.

The ROOT CAUSE was the error of the driver which forgot to disconnect the hose from the vehicle. CONTRIBUTING CAUSE was the fact that the breakaway system, designed to mitigate the consequences of these cases, did not operate as from design.

Tests of the breakaway, performed after event, showed that the breakaway operated at 210 lbs (95 kg), which was above the design value of 133 lbs (60 kg). This was very probable not a manufacturing error, but an installation error. It is further unclear who was supposed to detect this mishaps: could the station have performed regular check?

H2 dispenser