California’s Hydrogen Stations Being Fixed More Hours Than Pumping At 15% Capex Per Year

For the past few years, there has been significant interest in the hydrogen trucking industry, and numerous studies have been conducted on the topic. These studies often reflect differing perspectives on the viability of hydrogen as an energy carrier for transportation. One notable study reviews the total cost of ownership of hydrogen, battery electric, electric road systems, biofuels, and diesel as the baseline, and raises questions about the maintenance costs associated with hydrogen vehicles.

One common misconception is that the maintenance of hydrogen vehicles is similar to or only slightly more expensive than that of battery electric vehicles. However, anecdotal evidence and basic principles suggest that hydrogen vehicles should incur substantial maintenance costs due to factors such as high pressures, extreme temperature ranges, air purity requirements, and the specific characteristics of hydrogen. This is supported by maintenance reports from California, which indicated that hydrogen fuel cell buses had maintenance costs of over 50% higher compared to diesel buses.

Furthermore, some chemical engineers believe that the actual maintenance costs of hydrogen refueling stations may be significantly higher than the presumed 4% of system capital cost. This raises questions about the accuracy of existing assumptions and the potential impact on the total cost of ownership of hydrogen vehicles.

Recent research from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) presents additional insights into the operational costs of hydrogen refueling stations. The report suggests that annual fixed operational costs of maintenance and labor for such stations are 4% of the system capital cost. However, real-world data from a report presented at the Department of Energy’s Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting reveals that hydrogen refueling stations require a substantial amount of maintenance hours, resulting in higher operational costs than initially estimated.

Analysis of data from 55 hydrogen refueling stations in California shows a strong linear correlation between the amount of hydrogen pumped and maintenance requirements. This correlation indicates that maintenance costs increase in proportion to the volume of hydrogen dispensed, challenging the assumption that hydrogen refueling stations have relatively low operational costs.

Considering the operational data from these refueling stations, it becomes evident that they spend more time undergoing maintenance than actually pumping hydrogen. In fact, the maintenance hours for these stations significantly exceed the hours spent dispensing hydrogen. This indicates a substantial discrepancy in the operational performance and cost efficiency of hydrogen refueling stations compared to existing assumptions.

Large-scale studies on hydrogen refueling stations and maintenance costs provide critical insights that can significantly impact the total cost of ownership calculations for hydrogen-powered transportation. The findings from these studies challenge the existing industry assumptions on the operational costs of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and emphasize the importance of utilizing real-world data to accurately assess the economic viability of hydrogen as a transportation fuel.