The Hydrogen for Trucks Act, S.3806, has been introduced to the US Senate and House of Representatives to support hydrogen fuel technologies and infrastructure (fueling stations) as a means of combating rising fuel prices and GHG (greenhouse gas emissions). This is being aimed at the heavy-duty truck market.
Introduced by U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), there is also companion legislation in the House of Representatives, H.R. 7064, from Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). The bipartisan federal legislation is seen as a means to greatly decreasing GHG emissions caused by trucks.
Hydrogen powered fuel cell electric vehicles do not emit GHG emissions—only air and water vapor.
Per the submitted proposal, “heavy-duty vehicles make up a small fraction of the U.S. vehicle fleet, but they contribute 23 percent of all transportation greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen fuel cells can provide a clean fuel source with a user experience comparable to gasoline-powered trucks. However, hydrogen-powered trucks are an up-and-coming technology and remain cost-prohibitive for many businesses.”
The proposed Hydrogen for Trucks Act will:
- incentivize the adoption of heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by covering the cost difference between these vehicles and traditional diesel vehicles;
- encourage parallel deployment of vehicles and fueling stations, addressing the chicken-and-egg challenge that exists with vehicles and fueling infrastructure;
- provide data and benchmarks for different types of fleet operations, helping to incentivize private investment and accelerate deployment.
As proposed, the Hydrogen for Trucks Act will apply only to vehicle over 26,000 lbs and are propelled solely by an electric motor that draws electricity from either a fuel cell or a combination of a fuel cell and a battery.
The bill establishes a grant program—up to $20-million in total—for purchases of those trucks. Those eligible for the grant include: public and private fleets, independent owner-operators, and public hydrogen fueling station developers/operators. The grant monies can be applied to capital expenditures, operating costs, fuel, and overhead costs, as well as training and compliance costs.
The bill states that grant money to purchase hydrogen fuel cell trucks must not exceed the lesser of $500,000 or the amount by which the truck exceeds 50 percent of the cost of a comparable gasoline or diesel truck.
There are 49 actual hydrogen stations in service within the US—47 in California. But, planned stations as of March 2022 include 106 with, again, all but six in California.
There are only six such stations in Canada—but only in British Columbia and Quebec.