TORRANCE, CA - Toyota opened the first hydrogen refueling station in the U.S. that connects directly to a hydrogen pipeline, CNET.com reports.

The new facility, located in Torrance on the Toyota campus, doesn??t use trucks to bring hydrogen gas onsite, like stations in Santa Monica and Irvine, but instead receives its supply directly from Air Products?? hydrogen pipeline.

Shell manages the station and it will service Toyota??s fleet of 100 fuel cell test vehicles that the carmaker plans to bring to the U.S. market between now and 2013.

"Building an extensive hydrogen refueling infrastructure is a critical step in the successful market launch of fuel cell vehicles," said Chris Hostetter, Toyota product and strategic planning vice president. "We plan to bring a fuel cell vehicle to market in 2015, or sooner, and the infrastructure must be in place to support our customers' needs."

Toyota intends to use the facility as a demonstration center to educate the public about fuel cell technology.

Air Products worked with Toyota and other manufacturers to develop a wireless recognition system for customers that will speed the hydrogen refueling process.

The station will be open to other manufacturers of fuel cell vehicles and can refuel up to four vehicles simultaneously in five minutes.