Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)
Background
Some vehicles with an internal combustion engine (ICE) are specially designed to run on hydrogen. While hydrogen infrastructure is still ramping up, current hydrogen ICE vehicles are designed to run on either gasoline or liquid hydrogen.
Benefits
Hydrogen ICE vehicles provide a good transition to fuel cells and result in fewer smog and greenhouse gas emissions than their gasoline counterparts.
Hydrogen Production
Hydrogen can be produced from many domestic feed stocks, such as natural gas and renewable resources like water, using electrolysis. While the most common method of making hydrogen, using natural gas reformation, results in fewer smog-forming and greenhouse gas emissions than traditional vehicles, California is working to increase use of renewable production sources.
Availability
Automakers previously conducted demonstration projects with this technology but have no near term plans to market hydrogen ICE passenger vehicles.
Incentives
Check out the incentives page for information about incentives.
Fueling
California has 13 research hydrogen fueling stations, 9 public stations and an additional 18 that have been funded and are expected to be operational in the next few years. Below are some resources for finding fueling stations for hydrogen fuel cell cars:
- California Fuel Cell Partnership: The CaFCP maintains a map of all hydrogen fueling stations planned and in operation in California.
- U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center: A site developed by the Department of Energy that provides maps to refueling stations in the US for CNG, LPG/propane, ethanol, electric, biodiesel, hydrogen, and liquefied natural gas (LNG).