FirstElement Fuel Opens its New High-Capacity Retail Hydrogen Station in California

FEF overcame many challenges to develop, permit, and open the station, which was partly funded by California Energy Commission grant monies, in a Disadvantaged Community (DAC). It is an important goal for both FEF and the CEC to facilitate investments in hydrogen refueling stations across diverse communities and provide access to hydrogen refueling to people of all economic backgrounds.

FEF is also commissioning its multi-use heavy-duty truck hydrogen station near the Port of Oakland and breaking ground on a new retail hydrogen station in Redwood City, CA.

"The world faces many challenges today, but we are staying focused and disciplined about achieving our mission to accelerate access to hydrogen refueling," said Joel Ewanick, Founder and CEO of FEF. "And that's because hydrogen-fueled transportation will ultimately play a huge role in fighting against the single biggest challenge the world faces, Global Warming."

Once operational, the Oakland Multi-Use Station, which also uses FEF's proprietary design, will be the largest heavy-duty hydrogen refueling truck station in the world with the capability to handle heavy-duty, medium-duty, and light-duty hydrogen-powered vehicles. The station is part of a public and private partnership in which Hyundai Motor Company will supply 30 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks, the largest deployment of Class 8 hydrogen-powered vehicles in the U.S.

 The project, titled NorCAL ZERO was jointly funded by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and is being managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE).

FEF has designed the station, which is nearing completion, with a unique architecture that will yield 18,000 kilograms per day capacity (enough to fill as many as 200 heavy-duty trucks and 400 light-duty vehicles a day) and make it the first station in the world to deploy fast-fill components and protocols capable of filling a truck with 80 kilograms of hydrogen in under 10 minutes.

FEF's latest retail station to break ground is in Redwood City, CA, and is supported in part by grant funding from the California Energy Commission. The Redwood City station will add a new refueling location with 4 dispensers to California's hydrogen refueling network and become FEF's 42nd hydrogen station.