Hyundai Motor Co. rolled out the first 15 of its hydrogen-powered ix35 sport utility vehicles headed to Copenhagen this week. But part of the news was the fact that the event was in Europe and not here.

Europe already has a solid network of hydrogen fueling stations running from the boot of Italy northwest across the continent.

Energy Department statistics show just how much catching up the U.S. has to do. Compared with 160,000 gasoline stations, the nation has just 10,000 locations where alternative fuels are available. More than 3,000 of those are electric charging stations.

There were fewer than two dozen hydrogen fueling stations open to regular motorists in the U.S. as of March 2012, the Energy Department said.