Trucks, ports, and safety | US offers $59m in funding for hydrogen research and development

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new $59 million funding initiative aimed at advancing research and development projects that focus on lowering the costs of hydrogen in transportation and enhancing the permitting process at ports.

This recent funding call from the DOE outlines five primary research areas to be supported through cooperative agreements over a period of two to four years.

The first area targets research into innovative components for refueling medium- and heavy-duty fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) with either gaseous or liquid hydrogen. The second area is seeking proposals for the development and demonstration of cost-effective, standardized, and replicable hydrogen refueling stations that can be commercially scaled.

Previously, the DOE allocated over half of its last $48 million hydrogen research and development fund towards improving liquid hydrogen storage and fueling infrastructure for vehicles. While most experts predict that the decarbonization of passenger cars will predominantly shift towards battery-electric models due to their higher well-to-wheel efficiency and lower operational costs, the debate continues regarding hydrogen's role in reducing emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. This is due to hydrogen's advantages in terms of quicker refueling times, extended ranges, and the lighter weight of fuel cells compared to batteries.

So far, the adoption of FCVs in the US has been hampered by a limited number of refueling stations, with the exception of California, which has experienced high prices and widespread shutdowns of sites due to disruptions in hydrogen supply.

The third area of research supported by the DOE focuses on the design, development, and demonstration of fuel-cell equipment for port usage, such as cargo-handling or providing power to docked vessels. The fourth research area is seeking insights into the permitting and safety aspects of hydrogen projects, encompassing everything from production to end use.

The final research area is geared towards improving the capacity of the DOE and DOE-funded projects to engage effectively with communities.

This comes in the wake of criticism regarding the government's decision to allocate substantial funding to hydrogen hubs intended to produce blue hydrogen from fossil gas with carbon capture, a strategy some groups argue will perpetuate pollution from upstream emissions and methane leaks.