Persistence on Fuel Cell EVs Surfaces In Japan, Germany, US

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The world of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles has been shrinking as battery-powered EVs continue to improve in performance and cost. Still, BMW and Hyundai are among the diversified automakers anticipating that money is to be made in the fuel cell mobility area. California, which happens to be the 5th-largest economy in the world all by itself, also continues to support fuel cell EVs as part of its freight decarbonization efforts.

BMW & Hyundai Are Sticking With The Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Plan

For those of you new to the topic, fuel cell EVs share the ZEV (zero emission electric vehicle) acronym with their battery-powered cousins. Instead of carrying a charged battery pack along with them, though, fuel cell EVs generate electricity on board through a catalyst-enabled reaction between hydrogen and ambient air. The only emission is water vapor.

That sounds simple enough. However, the devil is in the details, of which there are many. Among those details is competition in the ZEV space from battery-powered vehicles, where costs are expected to keep ratcheting down as new LFP batteries enter the mass market. Still, last week CleanTechnica’s Raymond Tribdino took note of Hyundai’s plans to market its NEXO fuel cell EV in Japan, and BMW has been consistently working towards the launch of a hydrogen fuel cell SUV.

In the latest news from BMW, on November 14 the automaker received a joint award of €191 million from the German government and €82 million from the state of Bavaria in support of its HyPowerDrive hydrogen fuel cell program, aimed at developing a hydrogen-powered drive system that is also compatible with the company’s battery EVs. The compatibility strategy is intended as a cost-cutter, leading to series production of BMW’s new Hydrogen iX5 SUV in 2028.

Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse: The Nikola Fuel Cell EV Story

California is an industry-leading auto market unto itself, which makes the state’s ZEV policy influential on a global scale. Although most of the attention has been focused on the stellar sales performance of battery-electric vehicles in California, state policy continues to support fuel cell ZEVs, too.

The latest news from California is of particular interest because it involves the failed Class 8 heavy-duty fuel cell truck startup Nikola, which crashed and burned into spectacular flames earlier this year (see more Nikola background here).

On the flip side of Nikola’s bankruptcy proceedings, the Texas-based startup Hyroad Energy scored dozens of spanking new Nikola fuel cell trucks. The company has not let the grass grow under its feet. On November 19 Hyroad announced a hookup with the hydrogen supplier OneH2 and the firm Pacific Clean Fuels, both of which come under the umbrella of  the heavy duty equipment supplier Papé Group. The new partners aim to deploy a fleet of Nikola hydrogen-powered Class 8 heavy duty electric trucks in California.

The announcement follows on the heels of a November 18 news release, in which Hyroad detailed its plans for expanding the scope of its vehicle-as-a-service business model. As with the familiar “Charging-as-a-Service” model and other similar systems, Hyroad’s VaaS model enables fleet owners to transition rapidly into ZEVs without up-front costs.

For the California venture, the three partners expect to hit the ground running. Commercial operations are slated to  begin in January of 2026. “As part of the partnership, Hyroad Energy will deploy some of its recently acquired fleet of 113 Nikola hydrogen fuel-cell trucks to serve key freight routes between the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,” Hyroad explained in a press statement.

What’s Going On In Texas?

OneH2 and Pacific Clean Fuels are tasked with constructing and supplying a hydrogen refueling station in Long Beach for the exclusive use of the new fleet. “The partnership represents a fundamental piece in Hyroad’s growing hydrogen refueling network across California and Texas, supporting the company’s long-term vision for comprehensive regional coverage,” Hyroad notes.

“Together, the companies are building the foundation for a connected hydrogen network across California and Texas that will make zero-emission freight both practical and sustainable,” Hyroad emphasizes, which leads to the question: what’s going on in Texas?

Workforce availability is one angle cited by Hyroad. Earlier this year, Hyroad announced that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality provided funds from THIVE (the Texas Hydrogen Infrastructure, Vehicle and Equipment grant program) to support a new fleet of 28 fuel cell electric trucks in the state.

In a press statement, Hyroad founder and CEO Dimitri Serov referenced the skillset available in Texas. “We’re particularly excited to leverage Texas’s skilled workforce, who bring decades of experience in operating cryogenic and high-pressure gas systems – expertise that’s crucial for hydrogen technology,” Serov said.

Sustainable Fuel For Fuel Cell EVs

Despite signs of continued persistence among some legacy automakers and startups, the general consensus is that battery EVs will continue to elbow their way into the transportation space, leaving little if any left over for fuel cells.

Still, reducing the carbon footprint of the hydrogen supply chain will continue to be a climate action imperative. Fuel cells are just one use case. Hydrogen also plays a role in multiple industries including fertilizer as well as refining, metallurgy, food processing, and pharmaceuticals among others.

Currently the vast majority of the global hydrogen supply is extracted from natural gas, with coal also contributing to the carbon ball-and-chain. Transitioning to more sustainable alternatives has been a tough row to hoe. Many ambitious plans have been left scattered by the roadside in recent years. That includes the $7 billion “Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs” program, administered through the US Department of Energy. It launched in 2022 with funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Although BIL stipulates a carve-out for natural gas, most of the emphasis is on so-named green hydrogen squeezed from water or biomass.

Among other elements, the Hydrogen Hubs program provides a fresh wave of support for heavy-duty hydrogen powered trucks. However, as with most things green, the program suffered fatal blows under the Trump chopper this year, and now all of that is in the past tense.

Nevertheless, some activity may persist. In California, state lawmakers are casting about for alternative financing after its slice of the $7 billion program was removed from the table.  And in West Texas, as of last summer construction was still under way on the massive Project Roadrunner e-fuels plant, featuring green hydrogen sourced from renewable electricity and water.

Photo: The US startup Hyroad Energy is among the automotive stakeholders supporting activity in the global hydrogen fuel electric vehicle market (cropped, courtesy of Hyroad).