Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Cleantechnica: California's Hydrogen Infrastructure Collapse Proves What We've Known All Along
An interesting spin from the "renewables will save us" crowd at Cleantechnia.
I agree, we've known it all along.
California’s Hydrogen Infrastructure Collapse Proves What We’ve Known All Along
Late on the night of Tuesday, February 24, 2026, California’s hydrogen mobility market ground to a sudden halt when an explosion tore through an industrial truck storage yard located at 3994 Miguel Bustamante Parkway in Colton, California.
According to fire department reports, the blast occurred while two technicians were working on a trailer that contained compressed hydrogen tanks. The explosion instantly engulfed the hydrogen trailer and a nearby passenger car. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 20 minutes, but the human cost was severe. One man was killed at the scene, and the second technician suffered serious burns.
Pilot company, the trailer’s owner, immediately suspended its compressed hydrogen gas operations to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
The Network Collapse
That localized tragedy instantly triggered a statewide logistical nightmare. Because safety protocols dictate that hydrogen trailers are typically withdrawn from service across operators while an incident is investigated, the gaseous supply chain in California completely froze.
Without those specialized trucks moving fuel, pumps across the state dried up. As of late March, more than 60 percent of California’s retail hydrogen stations are completely offline. Out of 52 stations, 32 have “closed” signs hanging. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership has warned drivers that the few remaining liquid hydrogen stations are experiencing heightened, abnormal demand and massive lines from people who normally went to other stations.
If you own a Toyota Mirai or Hyundai Nexo and do not live near one of those surviving stations, your car is currently a heavy, very expensive paperweight. Manufacturers are trying to help where they can with rentals during the shortage, but it’s really not enough...
According to fire department reports, the blast occurred while two technicians were working on a trailer that contained compressed hydrogen tanks. The explosion instantly engulfed the hydrogen trailer and a nearby passenger car. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 20 minutes, but the human cost was severe. One man was killed at the scene, and the second technician suffered serious burns.
Pilot company, the trailer’s owner, immediately suspended its compressed hydrogen gas operations to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
The Network Collapse
That localized tragedy instantly triggered a statewide logistical nightmare. Because safety protocols dictate that hydrogen trailers are typically withdrawn from service across operators while an incident is investigated, the gaseous supply chain in California completely froze.
Without those specialized trucks moving fuel, pumps across the state dried up. As of late March, more than 60 percent of California’s retail hydrogen stations are completely offline. Out of 52 stations, 32 have “closed” signs hanging. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership has warned drivers that the few remaining liquid hydrogen stations are experiencing heightened, abnormal demand and massive lines from people who normally went to other stations.
If you own a Toyota Mirai or Hyundai Nexo and do not live near one of those surviving stations, your car is currently a heavy, very expensive paperweight. Manufacturers are trying to help where they can with rentals during the shortage, but it’s really not enough...
The full article points out that the tailpipe emissions of hydrogen cars are used to obscure the fact that hydrogen is made from the dangerous mined gas methane, controlled by and large by the same companies that provide gasoline. The author claims they knew it wouldn't work, but didn't care.
Some "final thoughts:"
...The network collapse in California should be the final nail in the coffin for the passenger hydrogen car. Sure, they’ll get the network back up and running again, only for the next mishap to completely take it down again. It will not expand and it will not grow to be a viable alternative to either gasoline or electric.
It is time to stop falling for the delay tactics and fully embrace the technology that actually gives us our independence back.
It is time to stop falling for the delay tactics and fully embrace the technology that actually gives us our independence back.
I don't believe electric cars are sustainable by the way, and disagree with the author that electric cars have something to do with "independence."
Of course, I don't think cars are sustainable in any form, but that's just me.
We have known, for decades, that consumer hydrogen is a bad idea, which has been demonstrated time and time again. The use of rhetoric about a putative "hydrogen economy" still remains however, where it serves to greenwash fossil fuels, from which hydrogen is overwhelmingly made.
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
