When the region’s top air quality experts recently put together a plan to establish a hydrogen refueling infrastructure along the Central Coast, they were acknowledging what analysts have been saying for some time: There can be no carbon-free future in California without a mix of zero-emissions vehicles.
The report, a joint project of scientists and community experts from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties was administered by the respective counties’ air pollution control districts and funded by the California Energy Commission.
The main recommendation in the report was to ensure “ongoing support for hydrogen planning and infrastructure buildout.”
The recommendation supports what the Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board have long concluded, that hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles are a critical complement to battery electric vehicles if the state is to achieve its climate change goals.
Unfortunately, the state’s allocation of clean transportation funding has severely neglected the development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure, particularly in the regions outside large urban areas.
Now, a well-intended proposal by the assembly member who represents Santa Barbara and Ventura counties could make the situation worse.
Because heavy-duty vehicles create a disproportionate share of transportation emissions they have become a focus of California’s clean transportation investments. In fact, of the $10 billion provided in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s two-year zero-emission budget package, more than 60% is slated for heavy-duty vehicle programs.
Despite these targeted investments, Assemblyman Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, has introduced a bill that would add more funding directly tailored for the heavy-duty sector — at the expense of building a more robust network of hydrogen fueling stations for cars.
Bennett’s Assembly Bill 2562 would redirect limited hydrogen infrastructure dollars toward projects that are located at a port, co-located at an existing truck stop or along designated freight corridors.
If that were to happen, the goal of establishing a network of hydrogen refueling stations along the Central Coast would become more distant.
Focusing exclusively on trucks ignores the bigger picture. While heavy-duty trucks account for just over 8% of total California greenhouse gas emissions, the state’s 30 million cars produce 28% of the total.
It is becoming increasingly evident that a reliance on battery-electric vehicles alone will not get California to its goal of phasing out new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. While battery-electric cars are good for some, they are clearly not for everybody.
A public opinion survey conducted for the California Hydrogen Coalition found that of the 87% of car owners who have never owned a zero-emission vehicle, half said they have no intention of buying one. Among their chief concerns were the limited range of battery-electric cars and the time it takes to recharge them.
Perhaps even more concerning is a survey released last year by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies that found about a fifth of owners of battery-electric vehicles had discontinued ownership.
It is notable that those who had switched back to gas-powered cars were less likely to have charging access at home — which remains an impediment to battery-electric ownership for all Californians who live in apartments.
If California is to achieve its goal of eliminating tailpipe emissions, it must invest in technologies that meet the diverse needs of all drivers — including apartment-dwellers, commuters who drive long distances, rideshare workers and delivery drivers who can’t afford to sit idle waiting for a battery to recharge.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, powered by renewable electricity generated when hydrogen reacts with oxygen, are truly zero-emission vehicles that fill the void left by the limits of battery-electric cars. They have about the same range and can be refueled just as quickly as gas- or diesel-powered vehicles.
As the use of hydrogen is scaled, costs will come down and production will increase. Automakers, particularly Toyota and Hyundai, are gearing up to meet demand. All that will be stymied by policies that unnecessarily limit the end uses of hydrogen-powered transportation.
Less than 5% of California’s investments in zero-emission vehicle infrastructure are now being directed toward hydrogen. The smartest way forward would be to boost that investment, not restrict where it can be spent.
— Ivor John Ph.D. is an environmental and safety consultant to industrial sectors and energy companies, is a former board chairman of the Community Environmental Council and is the current chairman of the ECOFaith Coalition of Santa Barbara County. With a background in meteorology and climate change, he has been an advocate for hydrogen and fuel-cell electric vehicles for more than 10 years. He helped secure California Energy Commission funding for the Santa Barbara station installed in 2016, and led the Tri-Counties Hydrogen Readiness Planning effort from 2017 to 2019. The opinions expressed are his own.