Automakers are planning to bring about 53,000 vehicles to the commercial market in California by 2017. Fuel cell bus use continues to grow as well, with the largest US fleet of fuel cell buses in demonstration in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hydrogen stations are needed to fuel the growing fleet.
Vehicle technology has moved from R&D toward commercialization and, therefore, actions have evolved to focus on consumer confidence, acceptance and usability. CaFCP just released its second update to the 2009 action plan as a precursor to a roadmap coming later this year. This document identifies immediate actions required in 2011 to prepare for coming fuel cell passenger vehicles and transit buses. These actions are the next important steps toward commercialization and user acceptance, and point to future needs and challenges to establish the early commercial market.
- Successfully opening and operating the stations announced, funded and under construction.
- Establishing early clusters of stations to enable vehicle deployments.
- Meeting current technical requirements and preparing for codes and standards now under development.
- Meeting customer expectations for retail fueling.
- Meeting retailers’ business expectations for dispensing fuel.
