“We have a huge, beautiful red paperweight in our driveway,” Snell said.
Snell is just one of many California hydrogen fuel cell vehicle owners facing difficulties as a series of unfortunate events — technology limitations, rising costs of operating hydrogen stations, policy changes, and even Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — have led to higher hydrogen fuel prices and the occupation of A hydrogen refueling station. Offline.
By 2022, nearly 12,000 fuel cell electric vehicles powered by hydrogen rather than natural gas or pure electricity will be on the road in California, where the vast majority of the country’s FCEV drivers live. (Only the state of Hawaii has one public hydrogen fueling station.) U.S. drivers bought nearly 3,000 vehicles last year, according to an industry group.
FCEV drivers interviewed by WIRED said they like their cars because they offer a smooth, comfortable ride and technology features and are purchased for less than competing vehicles, whether new or used. All three major automakers (Toyota, Hyundai and Honda) that sell vehicles in California offer a $15,000 gas card with each purchase as an added incentive. Some drivers told Wired that their FCEVs fit their lives perfectly because they live near a stable gas station, can rely on another car when prices get too expensive, or don’t drive at all. But others said they couldn’t keep their cars running.
“We are suffering from premature deployment,” said Robin Gaster, a public policy fellow and senior fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, who recently published a report on clean hydrogen policy. He believes it is too early for policymakers and car companies to roll out unproven hydrogen fuel technology.
Sacramento resident Scott Werntz and his wife, Lori, purchased a Toyota Mirai in the fall of 2022. Discounts and the inclusion of a gas card make this car feel like a great deal. But last year, the couple began having to wait in line, sometimes for more than an hour, to fill up their car with gas. At one point, a local fuel cell station broke down while they were waiting to recharge, and the vehicle had to be towed away. They said they now rely on another car and free rentals from Toyota to get around.
Toyota spokesman Josh Burns said the company is aware of the fueling issues in the state. “We remain committed to working with stakeholders to support California’s hydrogenation infrastructure now and into the future,” he wrote in an email. He said the company is working with Mirai owners to assist them on a case-by-case basis.
A Hyundai spokesperson referred WIRED to Bill Elrick, executive director of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership, who wrote that the closure of Shell Hydrogen will “create temporary challenges. ” But new vehicles, funding and infrastructure have the group feeling optimistic. Honda spokesman Carl Pulley said the company has invested in California’s hydrogen fueling infrastructure and highlighted its new fuel cell vehicle, the CRV e:FCEV, due to be launched this year.
Shell Hydrogen spokesperson Anna Arata wrote in a statement that the company aims to be “even more rigorous on delivery” and intends to invest $1 billion in hydrogen and carbon capture this year and next Storage technology.
In many ways, fuel cell electric vehicles are an attractive option for car buyers looking to reduce their carbon footprint. They are a green alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles, powered by compressed hydrogen and converting it into electricity via onboard fuel cells.
Hydrogen is excelling in an area where battery electric vehicle technology has stagnated. The fuel is plentiful, lightweight, emission-free and theoretically cheap, making it attractive to many who are despairing of the tricky state of the EV battery supply chain. Refueling a car with hydrogen is quick and more like filling up with gasoline than waiting 15 minutes to hours at an electric car charging station. FCEVs have a long range, up to 400 miles on a tank of fuel.