Fuel Cell Vehicle Readiness: Project Update

Over the last three years, the Schatz Center has been a technical lead for the North Coast and Upstate Fuel Cell Vehicle Readiness Project, in partnership with the Redwood Coast Energy Authority and six local government agencies across eight counties in Northern California. Funded by the California Energy Commission (PON-14-607), this project seeks to support the successful introduction of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), reduce barriers to the effective deployment of hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and help catalyze a robust regional market for FCEVs. This project is catalyzed by aggressive California targets to transition the on-road vehicle fleet to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs).

This year, the Center has led the completion of two key project deliverables. The first is a Site Readiness Report that provides recommendations for public fueling infrastructure, focusing on the cities of Eureka and Redding. Led by Greg Chapman P.E. with support from Jerome Carman, this report provides an overview of:

• state of the art of hydrogen fueling station design,
• current code and safety requirements,
• station design recommendations, and
• a list of recommended locations for the installation of hydrogen fueling infrastructure.

The second is a Micrositing Summary Report which documents past efforts and recommends next steps regarding potential station development locations and stakeholder engagement. Going forward, this report will be used to continue engagement with key stakeholders and catalyze momentum towards the development of fueling stations in the North State.

Currently the project team is engaging with state government fleet managers to leverage aggressive mandates (DGS Memo 16-07, SAM 4121, SAM 4126, EO-18-12) as a way to catalyze FCEV adoption in rural areas.

RELATED EVENTS…

On Thursday, October 11, the Sustainable Futures Speaker Series will host a panel discussion on zero-emission vehicles. For this special event, we’re bringing together experts in local planning, state regulation, mass transit, and advanced fuel infrastructure development, to share strategies for achieving a ZEV rollout on the north coast. The talk will be held from 5:30-7 pm on the HSU campus, in Siemens Hall 108.