On Thursday August 24, 2023 I noticed that True Zero raised Hydrogen Fuel prices by 20 percents. Previously priced at $29.95/kg, Hydrogen Fuel at True Zero stations is now priced at $36/kg.
Back in November 2021, Hydrogen Fuel at True Zero stations were priced at $13.99/kg.
Most Fuel Cell cars come with complimentary $15,000 fuel card. In 2021 the fuel card is worth more than 1,071 kg of Hydrogen Fuel. As of today, that $15,000 fuel card is worth about 416 kg of Hydrogen Fuel.
Which comes first: Fuel Infrastructure or the Mass Adoption
According to CalMatters.org, there are about 12,000 Fuel Cell cars hitting the road in California. The number is much lower than its all-electric counterpart. Meanwhile it carries a significant cost to build and install Hydrogen Fuel Stations all across California.
Two chief complaints about Fuel Cell is the availability and pricing of the Hydrogen Fuel. High prices and short supply would discourage buyers from choosing Fuel Cell cars. At the same time, low rate of Fuel Cell cars adoption would discourage California Government from investing in Hydrogen Fuel infrastructure. Companies such as True Zero and Iwatani would certainly need to make enough profit to keep producing and distributing Hydrogen Fuels.
At this transition stage, we should be less pragmatic about how Hydrogen is produced. In the meantime, keep producing Hydrogen Fuel so there would be robust infrastructure to support mass adoption of Fuel Cell cars. At the same time we can build facilities that can produce Hydrogen Fuel with clean energy. For example, we can build water desalination plants that harness Solar and Wind Power that also produce Hydrogen Fuel.
