Hydrogen and Coke: the ultimate vending combo

No more plugging in – Coca-Cola’s new hydrogen-powered vending machine runs completely off-grid. The company believes the innovation is a big step toward sustainable vending.

Fancy a coke? Cold one? Good.

But maybe not from those old vending machines down at the bus station. You know, the rusty kind that stock Pringles, off-brand energy drinks, and granola bars so hard they could break a tooth.

Due to some state-of-the-art engineering from Coca-Cola and Fuji Electric, a new type of vending machine will debut at the World Expo in Osaka on April 13th, 2025.

This novel beverage kit runs on hydrogen cartridges, which react with oxygen to generate electricity and serve drinks.

No power outlet is needed, so you probably won’t be faced with an “out of order” sign written in blue biro, like the one we had on a vending machine for two years at a language school I once worked in. Thankfully, Fuji actually handles maintenance.

The benefits of this kind of machine include location flexibility, improved sustainability, and reduced reliance on traditional energy grids.

The drawbacks? Well, the unpredictable amounts of maintenance it might require if the system trips out – which it could – especially with high demand and usage in urban areas.

By the same token, changing hydrogen cartridges presents a logistical hurdle. Though potentially recyclable, the canisters could pose a significant challenge if these machines are successful and scale up quickly.

Whether or not this is an eye-catching one-off remains to be seen, but in a culture so wired to vending machines, you wouldn’t put it past Japan to make it something substantive.

Hydrogen is an ethically sound choice and is seeing widespread use in many appliances and infrastructure, including heavy-duty transport and off-grid power for remote areas.