OAKLAND — The first industrial hydrogen refueling station for giant vans has opened on the Port of Oakland within the United States, a small step towards what hydrogen advocates see as a clear future for long-distance transportation.
The small station, which now serves 30 hydrogen gasoline cell vans, might mark the start of a nationwide community for gasoline cell truck refueling. It might additionally fail.
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The challenges are immense. Hydrogen gasoline is costly — as much as 4 occasions costlier than gasoline or diesel. The gasoline cells that energy the electrical motors to propel the truck are additionally enormously costly.
Producing hydrogen itself is now a unclean course of that generates greenhouse gases, though producing inexperienced hydrogen is an rising, and much more costly, choice. Hydrogen advocates are banking on the concept rising manufacturing will drive down costs.
By 2036, California will ban the sale of latest diesel vans. Only new zero-emission vans will likely be allowed. There are already zero-emission necessities for vans coming into ocean ports. And there are solely two applied sciences out there to realize that aim: battery-electric vans and hydrogen gasoline cell vans. “We assume portion of these will likely be hydrogen automobiles,” mentioned Matt Miyasato, public coverage supervisor for hydrogen distributor FirstFactor Fuel.
FirstFactor, by way of its True Zero-branded fueling stations, is the biggest distributor of hydrogen fueling for automobiles within the United States. Miyasato spoke Tuesday at a ceremony to mark the station’s opening, attended by state officers together with Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board; and Tyson Eckerle, a clear transportation adviser for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s workplace of enterprise improvement, Go-Biz. The Oakland station’s major funding is offered by state cash funneled by way of the Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission.
A hydrogen pump at FirstFactor’s True Zero hydrogen fueling station on the Port of Oakland.
(Russ Mitchell / Los Angeles Times)
Hydrogen gasoline holds nice promise for cleaner air. It is just not a fossil gasoline. A gasoline cell is a kind of battery that absorbs hydrogen and emits solely water vapor.
However, producing hydrogen itself may be very soiled. Most of the hydrogen produced as we speak requires methane, which is a fossil gasoline and a serious contributor to greenhouse gases. The business is engaged on manufacturing alternate options, together with carbon seize and storage from burning methane, or going methane-free solely to provide inexperienced hydrogen, utilizing an electrolyzer to separate the hydrogen and oxygen from water. Both alternate options are prohibitively costly with out authorities subsidies.
The federal authorities is doling out $8 billion to kickstart what it calls the “hydrogen economic system” by creating so-called hydrogen hubs. One of them will likely be in California, which is anticipated to web $1.2 billion for the mission.
Eckerle mentioned funding for the hub will permit for the development of 60 extra hydrogen fueling stations for vans in California, sufficient to gasoline 5,000 vans and 1,000 buses.
The automobiles themselves are additionally costly. Both battery-electric and hydrogen gasoline cell vans can value thrice as a lot or greater than a $120,000 diesel truck. Truck consumers can qualify for state and federal subsidies to offset many of the upfront prices.
Battery electrical is gaining traction within the midsize truck market, however hydrogen might have a bonus for long-haul hauls. While a gasoline cell is comparable in dimension to a diesel engine, a battery massive sufficient for long-haul vans provides weight and dimension and reduces the full cargo the truck can carry. And whereas a battery-electric truck can take hours to recharge, the refueling time for hydrogen is extra similar to refueling with diesel.
