Failure of innovative technology in real-world settings is not unheard of. But for the hydrogen car industry, it was one of the worst times ever: In 2019, California was investing heavily in hydrogen refueling infrastructure, attracting global automakers and oil and gas majors to the state. .
At the time, Toyota was pushing for more fuel infrastructure to power the Toyota Mirai, one of the earliest light-duty consumer hydrogen fuel-cell cars to come to market.
So Toyota partnered with both Iwatani and oil major Shell to build more fuel stations. Shell brought in Nel as the station provider, and both Iwatani and Chevron soon partnered with Nel. Representatives for Shell and Iwatani did not respond to requests for comment.
Lewis Fulton, director of the Energy Futures Program at the University of California, Davis, says that “the system has almost collapsed” in California due to equipment failures in the passenger segment. In addition to the abandoned Iwatani stations, Shell completely closed seven of its California hydrogen refueling stations in February and canceled plans to build 48 stations in the state.
Chevron had contracted with Nel to build 16 stations, but it did not comment on the condition of those stations. The extent to which Nel provided technology to these major players has not been previously reported.
Meanwhile, Toyota, which has prioritized the California market for the Mirai, is facing a class action lawsuit from several drivers who have already purchased the hydrogen-powered vehicle. The lawsuit claims that, contrary to Toyota's promises, it is becoming more difficult to obtain hydrogen fuel for their cars, making the Mirai “unsafe, unreliable and inoperable.” Toyota did not respond to a request for comment.
according to hydrogen fuel cell partnershipThere are 55 hydrogen fueling stations in California, but many of them experience frequent downtime. None of the hydrogen fueling stations provided by Nel are currently operational. Iwatani's only functioning refueling stations were built by Linde, a large industrial gas company.
Meanwhile, Fulton says California has focused on building infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses, with the hope that the passenger market can restart with the help of a growing freight market.
By focusing on the heavy-duty market, California could, theoretically, create a strong supply of clean hydrogen that lowers costs and increases availability, says Fulton, who is also an advisor to Arches, the California Hydrogen Hub that launched the 1.2 Won billion dollars of conditional funding from the US Department of Energy.