Electric truck manufacturer Nikola Corp. has opened its first hydrogen refueling station in Southern California, adding the first bricks to the infrastructure needed to support the broader use of hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks.
In comparison to the extended time required to recharge the battery in an electric vehicle (EV), hydrogen fuel cells can be refueled in about the same time needed to fill a gas- or diesel-burning vehicle at the pump. The onboard fuel cell then converts that hydrogen into the electricity needed to power the vehicle.
On Monday, Phoenix-based Nikola opened the new hydrogen station in Ontario, California, under its Hyla brand, which launched in 2023 to encompass the company’s energy products for producing, distributing and dispensing hydrogen to fuel its zero-emissions trucks.
The Ontario station will be capable of fueling up to 40 Nikola hydrogen fuel cell electric Class 8 trucks daily. This station is part of a strategic plan to establish up to 60 hydrogen refueling solutions in the coming years, with nine planned to be in place by the close of Q2 2024.
"Easing the transition to a zero-emission trucking future and prioritizing access to a hydrogen solution network is our top objective and we're just getting started,” Nikola President of Energy Ole Hoefelmann said in a release. “Once the nine planned solutions are in place by mid-2024, Nikola will have established one of the world's largest heavy-duty hydrogen refueling networks, providing customers accessibility at their current locations and along their planned routes."
The station opens as a growing number of companies begin to experiment with hydrogen fuel cell electric power, including emergency generators for Union Pacific railroad, freight trucks in China for JD Logistics, and forklifts at an Amazon distribution center. The movement is also being backed by a $7 billion package from the U.S. Department of Energy to create seven regional hydrogen hubs across the nation.
