The California Energy Commission (CEC) is offering up to $45 million in grant funding to build out hydrogen refueling infrastructure for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) across the state. The solicitation, known as the Hydrogen Infrastructure Project Opportunity (HIPO), focuses on stations serving light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles.
The CEC has split the $45 million pool into two areas, dedicating up to $21.2 million to light-duty refueling infrastructure and up to $23.8 million to projects that may serve light, medium or heavy-duty vehicles. The solicitation notes that applicants must contribute a match share of at least 25%, which the agency allows in the form of cash or in-kind contributions.
New stations are eligible for up to $1 million per refueling position, with a minimum of two positions required per station.
Applicants may pursue one or more project categories, including:
- New refueling stations.
- Reopening of temporarily non-operational stations.
- Supplemental funding for previously awarded stations under GFO-19-602.
- Operations and maintenance support tied to an otherwise eligible project.
The agency defines a temporarily non-operational station as one offline for 30 days or more because of mechanical or supply problems.
For light-duty stations, the CEC is prioritizing locations in Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego. The agency notes increased demand pressure in those markets. Heavy-duty stations are encouraged for drayage, transit and port operations.
A second addendum released in late May broadened the list of reimbursable costs to include items such as gaseous hydrogen storage, electrical equipment, thermal management systems and modular infrastructure.
The solicitation also notes that award recipients must commit to a 95% station uptime, along with operating the funded location for at least six years. They must also meet a series of safety, environmental and renewable-hydrogen reporting obligations.
Applications that clear the technical evaluation advance to a cost ranking round built around two metrics, the cost per refueling position and the cost per kilogram of daily dispensing capacity. For applications covering multiple sites, the CEC considers positions and capacity across the full proposal rather than scoring each station separately.
Applications are due July 20 and must be submitted through the Energy Commission Agreement Management System (ECAMS), the agency’s new online portal. The CEC held a single pre-application workshop in April and has since published a round of answers to questions from prospective applicants.
The agency will identify selected projects through a Notice of Proposed Awards. Projects recommended for funding must then complete a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review within six months of that notice.
HIPO is the latest hydrogen round under the CEC’s Clean Transportation Program, which has funded refueling infrastructure through earlier solicitations.
Photo by IADE-Michoko from Pixabay
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