One of the big knocks on hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles has been the availability of refueling stations… or more accurately, the lack thereof. But that could be changing in California.
This article from RedHerring.com says the state’s Air Resources Board is handing out $6.8 million in grants to build four hydrogen refueling stations, doubling the amount of hydrogen available for California drivers:
ARB Chairman Mary Nichols said in a statement that the grants will help cultivate the “burgeoning industry” for fuel-cell vehicles and as well as provide the state with more clean power.
Three Southern California sites around Los Angeles and one Northern California site near San Francisco will receive $1.7 million each in grants. They include the University of California at Los Angeles, which will build a publicly available facility that can provide up to 140 kilograms of hydrogen per day. The average refueling amount for a fuel-cell vehicle is about four to five kilos.
Another grant recipient, the San Francisco Airport, plans to build a hydrogen refueling facility that can dispense 120 kilograms per day and fuel passenger cars and busses operated by transit agencies throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Mebtahi Station Services received a grant for its Harbor City filling station, while Shell Hydrogen will get money to add a refueling facility to a Newport Beach gasoline station.