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CTE Supports ARCHES: California's Hydrogen Hub

The Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES), with the support of the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE), has submitted a proposal to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for federal funding to establish a regional Hydrogen Hub in the state of California.

ARCHES is a statewide public-private partnership with a mission to create a sustainable clean hydrogen hub. This hub aims to support the full decarbonization of California's state economy utilizing local renewable resources. Partners include the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the University of California, elected leaders, organized labor, private industry, and non-profit organizations, including CTE.

As part of the ARCHES' proposal to the DOE, 13 transit agencies in northern and southern California have committed to initiate or expand fuel cell bus (FCEB) deployments with the goal of totaling more than 1,000 FCEB buses. This '1,000 Bus Initiative' would establish the market foundation to commercialize the technology for the entire transit industry. In addition to managing the 1,000 Bus Initiative, CTE will assist with the deployment of thousands of Class 8 fuel cell trucks and supporting infrastructure.

The DOE Hydrogen Hub Program will create a network of hydrogen producers, consumers, and infrastructure to accelerate the use of hydrogen in multiple carbon-intensive sectors, including transportation across the nation. A statewide hub in California would assist in reducing capital costs, accelerating investment, and ultimately lowering the price of hydrogen to help California transit agencies meet zero-carbon and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) targets.

"We applaud ARCHES for their commitment to accelerating hydrogen's contribution to decarbonizing the state's economy, and we look forward to working together to ensure the success of the 1,000 Bus Initiative as well as support the deployment of thousands of trucks at ports and distribution centers throughout the state of California," said CTE Executive Director, Dan Raudebaugh. "We believe ARCHES presents an excellent opportunity to reduce emissions, promote economic leadership, and ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for all."

"We are grateful for CTE's leadership in pulling this 1,000 Bus Initiative together as part of ARCHES," said Gia Vacin, Deputy Director for Zero Emission Vehicle Market Development at GO-Biz. "The program, coupled with the rest of the ARCHES application, will not only result in cleaner air for our communities but also deliver the scale we need to unlock the market: delivering cost competitive renewable hydrogen, affordable buses, and a trained workforce.

"With its early efforts on transitioning to 100% renewable, zero-carbon electricity, and developing H2 infrastructure, California is in an excellent position to accelerate the shift to zero carbon for all sectors. This shift will not only help to commercialize zero-emission technologies for the benefit of all Californians, but will position the state as the worldwide leader in advancing and accelerating a transition to a zero-emission transportation sector. California's Innovative Clean Transit Regulation (ICT) mandates all state transit agencies transition to a 100-percent zero-emission bus (ZEB) fleet by 2040, and CTE is pleased to support many transit agencies in California with their full fleet transition planning and initial ZEB deployments. California also recently adopted the Advanced Clean Truck rule and the Advanced Clean Fleet rule to transition statewide truck fleets to zero-emission by 2035 for port drayage service, and 2045 for all trucks operating in the state.

‍ABOUT CTE

‍The Center for Transportation and the Environment is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to improve the health of our climate and communities by bringing people together to develop and commercialize clean, efficient, and sustainable transportation technologies. CTE collaborates with federal, state, and local governments, fleets, and vehicle technology manufacturers to complete our mission. If interested in learning more about CTE, please visit cte.tv.