AIKEN, S.C. – Don’t get too attached to gas powered vehicles. A new hydrogen fuel station, the first of its kind on the East coast, opened for business, Monday.

Drivers in the United States spend more than $25 billion annually on oil from foreign countries. Now new hydrogen stations in South Carolina could eliminate the U.S.’s dependency and help the environment.

The fueling station at Sage Mill Industrial Park is the first of its kind within thousands of miles, but it will soon have lots of company as officials unveiled the start of the South Carolina “Hydrogen Freeway.”

"We are helping to start the United States on getting off of foreign oil, because there are people in other countries who don't like us very much and want to hurt us and we're sending them billions of dollars every year," says South Carolina Speaker of the House, Bobby Harrell.

State leaders say the plan is to connect South Carolina to California with a stretch of hydrogen stations.

With hydrogen powered cars on the roads, the United States is closer to energy independence while helping the environment at the same time.

"A hydrogen fuel cell only puts out water and a little bit of heat and that's all you have," says Shannon Baxter-Clemmons of the South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance.

Hydrogen powered vehicles would completely eliminate pollution caused by exhaust from cars, but it does have its drawbacks. Currently, there are only a handful of hydrogen fuel stations in the country and just as few vehicles. Supporters of hydrogen are telling critics to give it time.

"There aren't a lot of hydrogen fueling stations today just like there weren't a lot of railroad tracks when the railroads started, but we are on the cutting edge of making those things happen," said Harrell

Harrell says, as hydrogen use expands, so will South Carolina's economy. He says hydrogen will boost business growth and incomes.

Currently, you can only lease hydrogen powered vehicles from certain automakers.

Officials expect the first mass production of hydrogen powered vehicles to roll off the assembly line by 2015. By 2020, they say fueling stations will be as common as gas stations.