Newport Beach-based FirstElement Fuel Inc. is considering developing a hydrogen fueling station at McClellan Park.
The company has had a pre-application meeting with Sacramento County planners for an electric fuel cell filling station on the location of a former fuel station at 4785 Bailey Loop.
The company has 34 True Zero hydrogen stations open now in California, with most of them concentrated along the coast in Southern California and the Bay Area. Its nearest stations to Sacramento are in Concord and Truckee.
FirstElement started up in 2013 to supply hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. Over its first few years it grew to 30 stations.
The company didn’t return calls for comment.
In November last year, FirstElement closed a $105 million funding round to expand its network of True Zero stations from 31 to 80 by 2024, it said in a news release at the time.
The company said that at least 12 of its new stations would be capable of refueling heavy-duty trucks in addition to cars. The existing fuel station at McClellan could handle trucks. It was previously used as a compressed natural gas fueling station. Hydrogen fuel cell heavy trucks can refuel on the road in about the same time as a diesel model, which means the range limitations of battery-powered electric trucks are not a problem for long-distance hauling.
The proposed hydrogen station would use the same location as the previous station for its fuel island. The station is on the south side of the former Air Force base with relatively quick access to Interstate 80.
The California Air Resources Board has mandated that truck manufacturers transition from diesel trucks to zero-emission trucks beginning in 2024, with a goal of 100% zero-emission trucks by 2045.
FirstElement’s funding last year followed decisions by the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission to implement policies to encourage private investment in hydrogen refueling infrastructure, the company said.
The McClellan location would open another part of the Sacramento region to hydrogen refueling. There is currently an Iwatani H2 Hydrogen station in West Sacramento. A Shell station at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue in Arden-Arcade also can refuel hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
