|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The city of San Ramon has opened the first hydrogen fueling station along Interstate 680 in the Bay Area, in part of an effort to encourage hydrogen-cell fuel cars that help reduce auto-related emissions.
This public refueling station, which is the sixth in the Bay Area, was heralded in by a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, hosted by the California Fuel Cell Partnership and attended by city officials along with representatives from Toyota, the Linde Group, the California Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board.
“We are excited to be part of this environmentally friendly and groundbreaking moment,” San Ramon City Manager Joe Gorton said.
On a basic level, fuel cell cars use a hydrogen and oxygen reaction to create electricity that powers the vehicle, leaving behind only a byproduct of water.
The station is located on a half-acre land parcel on Norris Canyon Road at Bishop Drive — the property is owned by Toyota Motor Sales USA and the facility will be operated by the Linde Group, an industrial gases company.
The station’s construction was partly funded by a California Energy Commission grant.
“The Energy Commission is pleased to support the adoption of zero-emission fuel cell electric cars by expanding California’s network of hydrogen refueling stations,” said California Energy Commissioner Janea A. Scott. “The city of San Ramon’s new hydrogen station helps fuel cell drivers to travel more freely in the Bay Area and encourages more Californians to consider getting behind the wheel of these cutting-edge and fun-to- drive cars.”
-
Local officials and representatives from partner organizations heralded in the new hydrogen car fueling station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning. (Photo courtesy of city of San Ramon) -
About 2,500 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are on the roads in California, including cars from Toyota, Honda and Hyundai. (Photo courtesy of city of San Ramon) -
State Sen. Steve Glazer demonstrates fueling a car at the new station, located on Norris Canyon Road at Bishop Drive. (Photo courtesy of city of San Ramon)
Community Briefs: Tango and Jazz at City Center | Alamo and Danville road closuresApril 3, 2026 9:31 am
Why does ‘Hindenburg’ keep coming to my mind ? 🙂
Hello Neighbors,
While H2 is highly flammable like gasoline, unlike gas if there is a leak or ruptured tank it quickly dissipates.
More than 240,000 gasoline powered autos burn each year.
Would not be advisable to park an H2 vehicle in a closed garage!
Ever wonder why your water heater sits 18 inches of the floor in the garage?
As gasoline fumes are heavier than air, fumes from leaked gas from your car would collect near the ground, so the area is considered a Class 1 Hazardous Environment.
Most everyone knows that hydrogen is lighter than air. If garaged, a leaking H2 car could fill the enclosed space & the pilot light from the water heater located in the garage would create an ugly picture. What? you say H2 cars are so well engineered that could never happen?; run that by the designers of the Dehavilland Comet, the column support tie down for the new East span of the Bay Bridge, and for those who don’t know the previous examples, how about the designers of the Titanic and the gas tank for the Ford Pinto.
My electric car sure works great!
My gasoline car works great too.