Phoenix-based Nikola Corp. plans to develop a hydrogen fuel station in West Sacramento as part of a network it's building for its hydrogen-fuel-cell big rig trucks.
Nikola (Nasdaq: NKLA) isn't disclosing the exact location yet, but West Sacramento may have been chosen for its ready access to Interstates 80 and 5.
The station will be focused on serving the Class 8 heavy duty trucks the company makes, said Nicole Rose, spokeswoman with the company, via email. The station will serve Nikola trucks and other heavy duty trucks.
Class 8 trucks are large tractor-trailers, also known as semis or 18-wheelers.
The company last year announced it would develop hydrogen stations in Colton and Ontario, California, and at the Port of Long Beach. Colton and Ontario are both on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County. Long Beach is the busiest port on the West Coast.
The only other operating hydrogen station in the region is also in West Sacramento, an Iwatani-branded station just off Interstate 80.
Nikola, founded in 2015, currently sells battery-powered trucks and plans to put its hydrogen-electric trucks into production this year.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Nikola plans to deliver 125 to 150 of its hydrogen-electric trucks and about 250 to 350 battery-electric trucks this year.
Nikola said it plans to have 60 of its HYLA-branded hydrogen stations in place by the end of 2026.
“The first four stations in California are intended as part of Nikola’s energy strategy to support hydrogen-electric truck demand,” said Carey Mendes, president of energy with Nikola, in a news release.
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.
“We’re encouraged to see Nikola’s progress in helping to establish a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem in California by accelerating the development and deployment of clean, renewable infrastructure,” said Gia Vacin, deputy director of zero-emission vehicle market development in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, in a news release. “Projects like these will be key in decarbonizing California's economy, while improving local air quality and providing tangible benefits to frontline communities.”
In the fall of last year, Newport Beach-based FirstElement Fuel Inc. began pre-application meetings with Sacramento County for a hydrogen fueling station at McClellan Park on the site of a former fuel station. Sacramento County's planning website doesn't show a formal application has been submitted by the company. Representatives of FirstElement couldn't be reached for comment.
FirstElement has 34 True Zero hydrogen stations open 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.
The Nikola Tre hydrogen electric truck is eligible for the California Air Resources Board's Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project, which offers incentives between $240,000 to $288,000 per truck. Customers could also get a $40,000 clean commercial vehicle tax credit from the federal government due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
