NREL research into fueling big rigs could help more hydrogen vehicles hit the road

In California, National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers suggest a shift in long-haul trucking toward hydrogen would necessitate a coast-to-coast network of fueling stations and answers to certain questions like bottlenecks, challenges, fueling methods and protocols and other questions they are now looking at to expand hydrogen’s usage as a fuel.

With few exceptions, most of the retail hydrogen fueling stations across the United States are in California. The more than 40 stations there are capable of dispensing nearly 12,000 kilograms of hydrogen daily, or enough to fill about 17,000 passenger vehicles. California’s stated goal is to have 200 stations by 2025.

Keith Wipke, manager of NREL’s Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies program said, “The addition of heavy-duty hydrogen vehicle research is important for the program, as it is a market with a big impact on energy use and emissions.”