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China, the world’s biggest market for electric vehicles, isn’t so quick to dismiss the alternative to batteries. Officials are promoting the development of hydrogen-powered cars, trucks and buses, with Beijing offering to reward cities that achieve adoption targets. In a 15-year plan for new-energy vehicles released on Nov. 2, China’s State Council said the country will focus on building the fuel-cell supply chain and developing hydrogen-powered trucks and buses. President Xi Jinping in September set a 2030 deadline for China to begin reducing carbon emissions.

“At ABB we believe that sustainable development means progress towards a healthier and more prosperous world today and for future generations. It is through innovative applications of technology such as this partnership with AFC Energy that we can enable a low-carbon society. AFC Energy is uniquely positioned with their cost effective alkaline based fuel cell technology, which makes it a perfect match.” AFC Energy is a leading provider of hydrogen power generation technology, which can provide clean electricity for on and off grid applications. The company’s standard solution provides power for charging infrastructure where traditionally a diesel generator would be used.

The hydrogen sector will receive £100 million over the next five years to support a green recovery and Scotland’s just transition to net zero. Scotland is set to become a leading hydrogen nation, with an ambition to generate 5GW of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 – enough to power the equivalent of 1.8 million homes. Economic impact research suggests the industry has the potential to be worth up to £25 billion a year to the Scottish economy by 2045.

“While hydrogen fuel cell technology is very promising, we know that widespread adoption will take time. Many factors will influence this, including emissions regulations, infrastructure, hydrogen availability and total costs of ownership. Buses and trains will likely be some of the first applications to transition to hydrogen, with the Hydrogen Council predicting that heavy- duty trucks will fall further out on the curve with about 2.5% of hydrogen adoption in 2030.” — Amy Davis, President of New Power Business, Cummins

The gas could account for 20% of worldwide energy consumption by 2050, with a market value of about $2.5 trillion, Benoit Potier told a French senate hearing on Wednesday. This means global investment of $5 trillion to $7.5 trillion, enabling carbon dioxide emissions to be cut by 6 billion tons. “So it’s huge,” Potier said. “We must therefore invest wisely.”

The Strategy is designed to spur investment and partnerships to establish Canada as a global supplier of hydrogen, and to increase domestic production, which will transform our energy sector. As one of the top 10 producers of hydrogen in the world, Canada will benefit from the growing global demand for hydrogen — a market that is expected to reach almost $12 trillion by 2050. The strategy will also be complemented by the Clean Fuel Standard, which will further drive investment and growth in Canada's fuels sector by incentivizing the development and adoption of clean fuels such as hydrogen.

The H2 Hydrogen Home is designed with solar panels, which will power the project's home on sunny days and also provide excess electricity that will be stored for night use and cloudy days. Some of that extra electricity will charge a home battery for short-term energy storage. The rest of the solar power will be converted to clean hydrogen using an electrolyzer and stored until needed. That stored hydrogen will also be converted back to electricity with an on-site fuel cell. And finally, the hydrogen will be blended with natural gas and used in the home's heat pump HVAC unit, water heater, clothes dryer, and gas stove.

The government will provide 2 trillion yen ($19 billion) of funds to support efforts to make hydrogen viable as a fuel for electricity generators that burn without emissions, the Nikkei reported, without citing the source of its information.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a plan today that will invest up to $115 million to significantly increase the number of fueling stations in the state that support hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The funding nearly doubles the state’s investments to date and will help California nearly achieve its goal to deploy 200 public hydrogen fueling stations. Under the plan, up to 111 new hydrogen fueling stations will be built in the state by 2027, including many designed for multi-use by passenger vehicles, trucks and buses. Total project funding is subject to annual approval of both the state budget and allocations from the CEC. During today’s business meeting, commissioners awarded three grants totaling nearly $25 million for the installation of the first 30 stations under the plan. More than half of the stations approved today will be built in or near disadvantaged communities. Irvine-based FirstElement Fuel, Inc., received $15.5 million. San Francisco-based Equilon Enterprises (doing business as Shell Oil Products U.S.) received $7.3 million, and the Santa Clara-based Iwatani Corporation of America, received $1.9 million. Will the stations approved today support medium-and heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell vehicles? FirstElement Fuel -- Five stations (in subsequent batches) will be designed specifically as dual-purpose stations that can fill heavy-duty vehicles in separate area to light-duty vehicles. Shell -- Some stations in the next batch will serve nearby tethered fleets. Iwatani -- Will look for opportunities to serve medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles in the next funding batch.

Toyota's next generation fuel cell electric technology is now powering a new set of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. Using the same fuel cell system as the all-new 2021 Mirai sedan that goes on sale this month, the engineers at Toyota Motor North America Research and Development have developed a set of production-intent prototype trucks that are being prepared to run drayage routes at the ports of L.A. and Long Beach to validate their performance, efficiency and drivability. Designed to be flexible enough to meet the needs of a wide variety of OEM truck makers, the new fuel cell electric system in the latest prototypes has been adapted to a Kenworth T680 chassis. A more compact hydrogen storage cabinet behind the cab houses six hydrogen tanks with the same capacity as previous prototypes while a new, more powerful lithium-ion battery helps smooth out the power flow to the electric motors. In this configuration, the second generation fuel cell system delivers over 300 miles of range at a full load weight of 80,000 lbs., all while demonstrating exceptional drivability, quiet operation, and zero harmful emissions.