National Fuel Cell Day News: SoCal Edison and Hyundai

Hyundai Engineering Teams Attempt Land Speed Records with NEXO Fuel Cell SUV and Sonata Hybrid for 2019 SEMA Show

SoCal Gas and Hyundai announced how they are celebrating National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.

Free Meals for Needy

In recognition of National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day and the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Longo Toyota of El Monte are donating 1,008 meals to non-profit, Meals on Wheels (October 8th and the number 1,008 are used in connection with hydrogen because its atomic weight is 1.008). Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle is powered solely by hydrogen without combustion, and its only emission is water. SoCalGas, the largest gas distribution utility in North America, recognizes hydrogen and fuel cells to be a critical part of the future of clean energy in California.

Longo Toyota is proud to partner with SoCalGas on National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day to bring awareness to hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the automotive space,” said Doug Eroh, President and General Manager of Longo Toyota.  “As one of the original authorized Mirai dealers in California, we have sold over 1,300 Mirai fuel cell vehicles in addition to over 35,000 hybrid electric vehicles over the past 20 years.  Longo Toyota is committed to promoting clean energy vehicles and educating the public on the importance of environmental sustainability.”

“As California works to transition to cleaner energy, SoCalGas knows the importance of hydrogen and fuel cells in developing the 21st century energy system, and innovations like hydrogen-powered cars are key. Vehicles like the Mirai are expected to play an important role as California seeks to meet the requirements of Governor Newsom’s executive order to require all new cars sold here to be zero-emissions by 2035,” said Yuri Freedman, SoCalGas senior director of business development. “SoCalGas is also furthering innovation and the development of carbon-free and carbon-negative gases like renewable natural gas and hydrogen, which demonstrates our commitment to helping California reach its climate goals affordably and reliably.”

For the past six years, the U.S. Congress has passed resolutions recognizing October 8 as Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, hydrogen and fuel cells can be used in multiple sectors such as transportation and stationary power enabling energy security and resiliency.

National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day was created by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) to help raise awareness of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. FCHEA recently launched a report titled, Road Map to a US Hydrogen Economy. The Road Map was developed with input from 20 major companies including Microsoft, Toyota, Air Liquide, Cummins, SoCalGas, and other Fortune 100 firms. It outlines how expanding the use of hydrogen would help solve a multitude of energy, environmental and health issues and makes the case that hydrogen will be required to dramatically decrease carbon fuels from U.S. energy supply, especially as energy demands increase.  Further, the Road Map explains the role of hydrogen in providing carbon-free electricity, long-term storage of renewable power, and clean distributed power to prevent power outages during natural disasters or grid cyberattacks.

10.9 Million Hyundai Fuel Cell Miles

Celebrating National Hydrogen Day 2020, Hyundai’s U.S. fuel cell SUVs, the NEXO fuel cell SUV and the Tucson fuel cell SUV, have together accumulated more than 10.9 million miles, all emitting only clean water vapor. This cumulative distance is the equivalent of circumnavigating the Earth more than 437 times at the equator, measuring approximately 24,901 miles at its widest circumference.

“Celebrating National Hydrogen Day 2020, we’re incredibly proud of our hydrogen vehicle impact in reducing harmful greenhouse emissions on our planet. As the hydrogen refueling infrastructure continues to grow, we applaud the exponential emissions reduction it will bring, resulting in a cleaner atmosphere for everyone,” said Olabisi Boyle, vice president of Product Planning and Mobility Strategy, Hyundai Motor North America.

Fuel cells are yet another technology which continues to scale in the energy industry, combining both hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. SoCalGas recently announced it begun powering two of its largest Los Angeles-area facilities with Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cells. The switch to fuel cells reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollutants and the cost of power, as well as provides reliable electricity independent of the power grid.

NEXO is the technological flagship of Hyundai’s growing eco-vehicle portfolio and marks Hyundai’s continued momentum with the industry’s most diverse SUV eco powertrain lineup. The NEXO Blue model has an estimated range of 380 miles, one of the greatest of any zero-emissions vehicle, and refueling can be achieved in as little as five minutes, rivaling comparable internal-combustion SUVs in terms of both range and refueling speed. NEXO dealers include Keyes Hyundai in Van Nuys, Tustin Hyundai, Capitol Hyundai in San Jose and Roseville Hyundai near Sacramento.