On December 9, 2020, the California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded $7.3 million to Equilon Enterprises LLC (d/b/a Shell Oil Products US), hereafter referred to as Shell Hydrogen, to deliver the first eight of 51 proposed Shell hydrogen refueling stations. This funding is part of a multi-year program supported by a Notice of Proposed Award of $40.5 million from the CEC earlier this year. Further, Toyota and Honda have agreed to continue their strong support for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) sales in California. Future project funding, including the remaining amount within the Notice of Proposed Award, is subject to annual approval from both the California state budget and allocations from the CEC.
If successful in securing full funding, Shell Hydrogen will install hydrogen refueling equipment at a total of 48 existing Shell retail stations, upgrade two current Shell Hydrogen stations and add light-duty fueling dispensers and positions at one existing Shell Hydrogen heavy-duty truck station.
The new hydrogen refueling stations join nine Shell hydrogen locations in the state, seven of which originated through a previous CEC award in 2017. The expanded network helps expedite and increase the number of hydrogen refueling stations in support of growing the market for hydrogen fuel cell technology.
To support the growth of hydrogen mobility, infrastructure is critical to ensuring the customer has a safe, convenient, reliable, high quality, low cost fueling experience. “Innovations in California policy, including infrastructure capacity crediting in the Low Carbon Fuels Standard and a multi-year structure in grant funding, enable us to deliver this station development program and decarbonize hydrogen to near-zero or below,” said Oliver Bishop, General Manager for Shell Hydrogen. “I’d like to thank the CEC for giving Shell Hydrogen the opportunity to support California’s environmental and energy policy goals.”
“Fuel cell vehicles are an important part of our long-term efforts to reduce carbon emissions,” said Steven Center, Vice President of Auto Sales, American Honda. “As a leader in the development of zero-emission vehicles, we fully support Shell Hydrogen and their significant expansion of the hydrogen refueling network to speed the adoption of lower carbon transportation options.”
Honda is committed to reducing its total global company CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2050, compared to the year 2020. Toward that goal, two-thirds of Honda’s global automobile sales by 2030 will be comprised of electrified vehicles, including fuel cell electric vehicles. With a 360-mile U.S. Environmental Protection Agency driving range rating, the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell has one of the longest ranges of any zero-emission light-duty vehicle in America and can be refueled in approximately three to five minutes.
Toyota’s Doug Murtha, Group Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Planning, Toyota Motor North America, added “Toyota has been developing fuel cell electric vehicles for nearly three decades, so we’re excited to participate with Shell in this rapid expansion of next generation hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The size and scale of this project align perfectly with the launch of our second-generation 2021 Mirai which will allow the fuel cell vehicle market to grow significantly over the next several years.”
Sidebars
Shell Hydrogen Refueling Network Map
With this $7.3 million award, Shell Hydrogen will deliver the first eight of 51 proposed Shell hydrogen refueling stations, as part of a multi-year program supported by a $40.5 million Notice of Proposed Award from the CEC earlier this year. Future project funding, including the remaining amount within the Notice of Proposed Award, is subject to annual approval of both the California state budget and allocations from the CEC.
If successful in securing full funding, Shell Hydrogen will install hydrogen refueling equipment at a total of 48 existing Shell retail stations, upgrade two current Shell Hydrogen stations and add light-duty fueling dispensers and positions at one existing Shell Hydrogen heavy-duty truck station.
Shell Hydrogen has selected the first locations for this development program, with flexibility in further selection to be responsive to developments in the market and overall fueling network. The new hydrogen refueling stations join nine Shell hydrogen locations in the state, seven of which originated through a previous CEC award in 2017.
Click here to view a California Fuel Cell Partnership map of the full hydrogen network in California.
Station Design
The entirely new hydrogen refueling stations will double station performance and provide a customer-friendly experience with the iconic Shell Hydrogen Power Dispenser™, featuring a full-size LCD touch screen. Other benefits include a no-freeze nozzle, continuous back-to-back filling performance, new compression and control design with automated seal replacement for convenient and reliable availability of fuel, and low vibration and noise.
2020 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell
The 2020 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell is available for retail lease through a network of 12 approved Honda dealerships in select California markets, including six dealerships in Southern California (Los Angeles and Orange County areas), five in the San Francisco Bay Area, and one in the Sacramento area. The Clarity Fuel Cell leases for $379 per month for 36 months with $2,878 due at signing. California customers may be eligible for a $4,500 rebate. The lease terms include an attractive mileage allowance of 20,000 miles per year, up to $15,000 of hydrogen fuel, up to 21 days of access to a luxury vehicle from Avis while in California, 24/7 roadside assistance, and eligibility for California’s Clean Air Vehicle Stickers to allow single-occupant HOV lane access.
Honda has invested more than $14 million in California’s hydrogen refueling network. With more than 40 retail hydrogen stations across the state, it’s now more convenient than ever before to quickly refuel the Clarity Fuel Cell. Honda intends for electrified vehicles to comprise two-thirds of its global automobile sales by 2030. In North America, the Honda Electrification Initiative will see Honda's electrified powertrain technologies applied to an expanding portfolio of cars and light trucks in the years ahead. Honda's electrified vehicle lineup today includes the Clarity series, along with the Accord Hybrid, Insight, and the all-new CR-V Hybrid.
2021 Toyota Mirai Limited Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
Toyota put the auto industry on the road to electrification in 1997 with the first Prius hybrid. Then, in 2015, it debuted the Mirai, the first production hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) offered for sale to retail customers in North America (Mirai means “future” in Japanese). Now, Toyota has revealed the second-generation Mirai, rebooted as a premium sedan with cutting-edge design, technology and driving performance. A dramatic change in styling, this Mirai will offer multiple grades for the first time – XLE and Limited – and is based on Toyota’s premium rear-wheel drive platform, debuting a dramatic yet refined coupe-inspired design with improved passenger room and comfort. The new platform allows for a highly rigid body that is lower, longer, and wider, with its bolder stance accentuated by available 20-inch alloy wheels. Offering up to 400 miles or range, two trims levels and rear-wheel drive dynamics, the 2021 Mirai will go on sale in late 2020.
Further information
About Shell Hydrogen
Shell Hydrogen is helping to build the infrastructure needed for hydrogen to grow as a transport fuel. For example, we are part of joint ventures and alliances that have built hydrogen refueling stations for passenger cars in the USA (California), Canada, Germany and the UK and announced plans to build several stations in the Netherlands. In California, Shell is also developing filling stations for hydrogen trucks, in co-operation with Toyota, Kenworth, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. In 2020, Shell announced plans to be part of a consortium that aims to build the largest European green hydrogen project capable of producing 800,000 tonnes of green hydrogen in the Netherlands by 2040. If given the go-ahead, NortH2 will be powered by electricity generated by an offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Green hydrogen, produced through electrolysis using renewable power such as wind and solar, is a key priority area for the European Green Deal. Shell helped with the launch of The Hydrogen Council, a global coalition of companies working to raise the profile of hydrogen’s role in the transition to a lower-carbon energy system.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent US Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2018, more than 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
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