$7 Billion in Funding Announced for Clean Hydrogen Hubs
The fight against global pollution and carbon emissions saw a major turn on Oct. 13 when President Joe Biden’s administration announced the funding of 7 billion dollars allocated to seven state-backed regional hydrogen hubs. This initiative would enable the citizens to stop relying on fossil fuel vehicles as the nation pushes for zero-emission green energy.
The aim is to ramp up hydrogen production across the US while minimizing the cost of alternative fuel sources. Currently, 95% of the hydrogen used for fueling nationwide comes from natural gas. Ultimately, the Department of Energy (DOE) funded project will be tasked to devise a plan for shifting towards greener hydrogen production. With global organizations having a hard time coming up with appropriate plans to counter the threat of climate change, the president hailed the funding, stating, “Today’s announcement is transformational”.
How Does the Decision Impact the Trucking Industry?
The trucking industry is among the various industries that actively contribute to the ongoing climate crisis. Most of the trucks carrying freight nationwide run on diesel, a non-renewable energy form. Even though we’ve recently seen a shift from diesel-fueled trucks to battery-powered electric trucks, this shift has failed to meet the demands of the trucking industry. Many trucking stakeholders have voiced their concerns about the increased recharging time taken by battery-powered trucks and how it impacts the business. Further, the nation still lacks adequate charging infrastructure which is a prerequisite if we wish to completely discard diesel trucks and shift to battery-power use.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks appear to be the better option for trucking organizations because the time taken to fuel up with hydrogen is similar to the time required for filling an empty tank with diesel. The reduced weight and lesser space requirements of the hydrogen fuel cell are some additional benefits that give the edge to hydrogen fuel.
Although there have been worldwide initiatives to promote the use of battery power instead of non-renewable fuels, the progress has been slow-paced. This is good news for hydrogen hubs that would be keen to catch up to the progress made by battery power solution providers.
The shift in focus comes as bad news for natural gas stakeholders, as the hydrogen hubs will concentrate on creating green hydrogen without spending non-renewable resources. The current plan in motion is to use electrolysis systems to make hydrogen fuel. The implementation might take years to turn into reality, but once the hydrogen hubs succeed in the creation of green hydrogen and lower its costs so that it can be used as the preferred fuel in vehicles, the trucking industry will be able to execute zero-emission transportation with ease.
Fuel cell truck makers are all set to push the market for green hydrogen, a move that would benefit all global communities. The hydrogen fuel initiative has also captured the attention of legacy stakeholders like Ford, Bosch, GM, Daimler North America, and more, making the SuperTruck 3 strategy devised by the Energy Department promising for the future.