Fuel Cell Vehicles Get Surprising Boost from Uncle Sam

"​The Department of Energy recently awarded about $15.8 million for 30 new research projects that it said are 'aimed at discovery and development of novel, low-cost materials necessary for hydrogen production and storage and for fuel cells onboard light-duty vehicles'," reports AASHTO Journal on July 7.

The DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Office [a division under the  Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy] selected projects for the awards, in line with department goals of "enabling economic and efficient transportation via fuel cell electric vehicles that use hydrogen fuel produced from diverse domestic resources."

The DOE announcement, made June 8, indicates that fuel cell electric vehicles "consume 95% less petroleum per mile than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, have no tailpipe emissions, and offer quiet operation."

What's surprising is that the administration would even consider reducing oil consumption to be a benefit considering their interest in rolling back fuel economy standards. The Trump Administration's main energy goal is clearly boosting oil production, illustrated by a July 6 order [pdf] by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to "to speed oil and gas permitting on public lands with 30-day reviews," report Dino Grandoni and Juliet Eilperin for The Washington Post.

According to the energy department, "[m]ore than 2,000 fuel cell vehicles have been sold or leased in the U.S. since 2015." With the Toyota Mirai now available for sale or lease, expect to see more on the road in California which has a developing network of hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Also see:

• Planetizen, April 14: More Fuel Cell Vehicles for Lease in 2017: Fuel cell electric vehicles are gaining a following in California, but nowhere else in the U.S. for the simple reason that almost all hydrogen fueling stations are located in the Golden State. Sales, or leases, are expected to jump this year; and
• Planetizen, May 22: Northeast is Next Market for Fuel Cell Vehicles.