IRVINE, Calif. -- The retail hydrogen-fueling infrastructure has been slow to get off the ground, with only a handful of sites open. But a new network of sites has opened that aims to provide a jump-start to the alternative fuel.
FirstElement Fuel Inc., Irvine, Calif., has established the True Zero network of hydrogen-fueling sites in California.
The first 15 locations went online in the past 18 months in Silicon Valley, the greater Los Angeles and Lake Tahoe areas, as well as the San Joaquin Valley. Four more True Zero sites are slated to go live by the end of the year. The goal of the rapid rollout: Address consumers’ concern about where they could fuel—or charge up—their hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle.
“In the past, the lack of a fueling network kept fuel-cell vehicles off the road, and has been hampering activity in recent years,” said Joel Ewanick, CEO of FirstElement Fuel. “Soon, a short stop for a 4-minute charge of True Zero hydrogen will enable drivers of all electric fuel-cell cars to confidently get to their destination without the worry of range anxiety.”
The California Energy Commission, South Coast AQMD and Bay Area AQMD helped fund the stations through grants, along with partnerships with automakers Toyota and Honda, which have both introduced fuel-cell vehicles in the past year.
Beyond the financial assistance, the state and automakers provided technical support.
“We knew building out this network was going to be challenging,” said Ewanick. “Having completed 15 stations in 18 months is an unprecedented achievement.”
According to FirstElement, the True Zero network is the largest group of retail-ready, hydrogen-charge ports in the world. They are reportedly achieving 99% uptime, which is significant considering the technical issues that have plagued the existing hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California.
Today’s fuel-cell electric vehicles can drive more than 300 miles on one charge. The fueling process at a True Zero site takes 4 minutes or less. FirstElement estimates that once the first 19 hydrogen fueling sites are open, the True Zero Network will replace 2.5 million gallons of gasoline and cut 34 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year, said to be the equivalent of planting a forest almost as big as San Francisco.
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