CEC Innovative Hydrogen Refueling Solutions for Heavy Transport
The California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Clean Transportation Program (CTP) and Gas R&D programs are teaming up to offer up to $16.5 million in grant funds to accelerate actions to mitigate climate change in the state by advancing Hydrogen refueling infrastructure solutions for heavy transport. This program aligns with Executive Order (EO) N-99-20 signed by Governor Newsom in September 2020, which set targets for 100 percent of Medium- and Heavy-Duty (MDHD) vehicles to be zero-emission by 2045 and 100 percent of off-road vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035, for all operations where feasible.
What is the program’s purpose? The purpose of this solicitation is to develop and demonstrate innovative hydrogen refueling solutions to support the decarbonization of emerging MDHD on-road and off-road vehicle applications, reduce hydrogen delivery and refueling costs, improve reliability, enable higher fill rates, and minimize energy losses.
What are the anticipated funding amounts and duration? Awards are expected to range in size from $1.5 million to $5.5 million, with anticipated program starting date of July 31, 2023 and end March 31, 2026. Match funding is required in the amount of at least 25 percent of the requested project funds.
Who is eligible to apply? This solicitation is open to all public and private entities and will be grouped based on Project Type:
- Group 1: Mobile Off-Road Equipment
- Group 2: Emerging Off-Road Applications
- Group 3: MDHD On-Road Vehicles
All projects under Group 1 and Group 2 in this solicitation must benefit Gas IOU ratepayers.
What are the project requirements?
All projects must develop and demonstrate innovative hydrogen refueling solutions that support the decarbonization of emerging MDHD on-road and off-road vehicle applications, reduce hydrogen delivery and refueling costs, improve reliability, enable higher fill rates, and minimize energy losses. Examples of innovative hydrogen refueling solutions include, but are not limited to the following:
- Flexible mobile hydrogen refueler technologies to enable fuel cell adoption for off-road applications that currently rely on diesel mobile refuelers and lack practical access to permanent stations.
- High flow rate gaseous or liquid systems for MDHD on-road or off-road vehicles that require large onboard hydrogen storage capacities and fast refueling times
- Advanced compressors, cryopumps, chillers, or other components with higher efficiency, improved reliability, and/or lower capital costs.
- Innovative station configurations to reduce footprint, accelerate time to deploy, increase utilization, and/or integrate on-site renewable hydrogen production.
When is the application deadline? Applicants must submit pre-application abstracts electronically via the CEC Grant Solicitation System (GSS) by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on November 18, 2022. Full applications are due on February 24, 2023. The CEC strongly encourages applicants to upload and submit all applications by 5:00 p.m. because CEC staff will not be available after 5:00 p.m. or on weekends to assist with the upload process.
The full Request for Applications can be found here.
Morrison has extensive experience writing successful applications for clients for CEC programs. For more information on this grant or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.