Joint Agency Staff Report on Assembly Bill 8: 2016 Assessment of Time and Cost Needed to Attain 100 Hydrogen Refueling Stations in California

The Joint Agency Staff Report on Assembly Bill 8: 2016 Annual Assessment of Time and Cost Needed to Attain 100 Hydrogen Fueling Stations in California (2016 Joint Report) follows the first joint report published in 2015 in accordance with Assembly Bill 8 (AB 8) (Perea, Chapter 401, Statutes of 2013). The 2016 Joint Report updates the time and cost assessments to design, permit, construct, and make hydrogen refueling stations operational and open retail for the stations funded under the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP).

As of December 5, 2016, 25 open retail stations are selling hydrogen for use as a transportation fuel and another 23 stations are under development to become open retail and sell hydrogen to the public. Combined with two additional California Air Resources Board-funded stations that are open non-retail (not selling hydrogen to the public), California’s hydrogen refueling station network is composed of 50 stations. This year has seen the greatest growth in the number of open retail stations in California since the AB 118 (Núñez, Chapter 750, Statutes of 2007) and AB 8 programs started. When the 2015 Joint Report was published, six stations were open retail.

ARFVTP funding remains necessary to reach the milestone of constructing and operating 100 hydrogen refueling stations. The 2016 Joint Report estimates the remaining cost to reach the 100-station milestone is about $125 million. Added to the investment reported in the 2015 Joint Report of over $100 million, which includes $80.9 million for infrastructure for 50 stations, the total cumulative cost is estimated at $225 million. With the business-as-usual $20 million per year in ARFVTP funding, the 100-station milestone is projected to be achieved in 2024.