From Guest Blogger Jordan: FirstElement Fuel Helping Upgrade Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure

As more and more car makers seem willing to embrace hydrogen as the fuel of the future and start to increase investment in fuel cell technology, the issue of scarce refueling infrastructure becomes ever more pressing. Although automakers like Toyota – which has been at the forefront of hydrogen fuel cell technology for a while now and will continue to try to push fuel-cell cars to market – certainly have to contribute to building a supporting infrastructure, it’s clear that they can’t solve the classic chicken-and-egg dilemma by themselves, and will need help from government agencies, as well as from energy companies.

The state of California, for one, is actively supporting the promotion of hydrogen-powered vehicles, putting a lot of money towards the construction of refueling stations, and as far as the private sector is concerned, it seems that one company that was started only a couple of years ago and is still new to the hydrogen fueling solutions business may turn out to be the missing piece that is necessary for a faster adoption of these vehicles. FirstElement Fuel, founded by Joel Ewanick, the former marketing director at General Motors, has managed to make a name for itself in the fuel cell and hydrogen technology market pretty quickly, thanks to an ambitious business plan and a vision revolving around a conviction that hydrogen cars are the most viable alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, that appealed to the California Energy Commission, and made it award several grants to the company in the past few months worth over $27 towards building a total of 19 refueling stations across the state.

After receiving the grants from the state of California, FirstElement Fuel switched its focus on pursuing strategic partnerships with other companies from the private sector, specifically from the auto industry. A couple of months ago, they secured a $7.3 million loan from Toyota, that will be used to help construct some of the 19 stations they have committed to build, and this week, the company announced that it has gained support from Honda – another strong proponent of hydrogen-powered cars.

The second-largest Japanese car maker has decided to grant FirstElement Fuel a loan of almost $14 million, which will help Ewanick’s company build an additional 12 stations in California over the next twelve months. When these 12 stations are completed, FirstElement Fuel will operate a total of 31 stations across the state, which will make it one of the key players in the retail hydrogen fueling business.

Considering that FirstElement Fuel’s efforts will help double the number of hydrogen filling stations by the end of next year, it is safe to say that the company is becoming a significant player in the fuel cell movement, and is definitely a major factor for advancing hydrogen infrastructure and promoting fuel-cell vehicles as the perfect replacement for conventional cars. “FirstElement Fuel is providing a vital piece of what is needed for a successful launch of fuel-cell vehicles,” said vice president Steven Center, of Honda’s environmental-business development office.