14 DAY TRIAL // This past May 1, the California Energy Commission went public with the news that the state was ready and willing to invest as much as $46.6 million (about €33.6 million) in hydrogen refueling stations.
On its website, the California Energy Commission details that, by spending this much money on the development of publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations, the state expects that it will manage to boost the popularity of zero-emission fuel cell vehicles.
Should folks in California become more interested in buying and driving such cars, the state would have quite a lot to gain in terms of reducing dangerous emissions and thus safeguarding both the environment and public health.
The California Energy Commission explains that the $46.6 million was made available under its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, otherwise known as ARFVTP.
Should things go according to plan, the money will serve to equip the state with as many as 28 hydrogen refueling stations. Of these, 13 are to be set in place in Northern California, whereas the remaining 15 will be located in Southern California.
The Commission stresses that, together with the 9 stations the state already has and the 17 such facilities it is currently working on, the 28 new hydrogen refueling stations will be positioned in such ways that they will connect major corridors and regional centers.
“Transitioning to low- and zero-emission vehicles is critical to meeting air quality goals and to reducing the emissions that lead to climate change,” Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott commented on this initiative in a recent interview.
“With this funding, California will accelerate the construction of a reliable and affordable refueling infrastructure to support the commercial market launch of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” Janea A. Scott went on to explain.
The state of California expects that, sometime in the not-so-distant future, it will manage to install as many as 100 hydrogen refueling stations. When up and running, these facilities will surely help make fuel cell vehicles much more appealing to folks living in this part of the United States.
“These 54 hydrogen refueling stations represent significant progress towards meeting California's goal of establishing a 100-station network to support the full commercialization of fuel cell vehicles in California,” the California Energy Commission wished to stress.
The $46.6 million is to be distributed among the following recipients: Air Liquide Industrial US LP; FirstElement Fuel, Inc.; HyGen Industries, LLC; Institute of Gas Technology; ITM Power, Inc.; Linde LLC; Hydrogen Technology & Energy Corporation (HTEC); and Ontario CNG Station Inc.