Shell Partners with Honda and Toyota on California Hydrogen Stations

Shell Oil Co. is teaming up with Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. to open seven hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles in California.

Funding for the stations will be supported by a $16 million grant awarded last month by the California Energy Commission to Shell Oil Co.’s Equilon Enterprises LLC subsidiary. Bloomberg News reported a potential partnership between Shell and Toyota earlier this year but didn’t mention Honda at the time.

The hydrogen pumps will be co-located at current Shell-branded gasoline/diesel stations in northern California. San Francisco will get three hydrogen stations, with another one each earmarked for Berkeley, Sacramento, Citrus Heights and Walnut Creek.

California, currently the only U.S. state where fuel cell vehicles are sold, aims to quadruple the number of public hydrogen stations from about 25 today to more than 100 by 2024. Shell’s only dedicated hydrogen station is located at Toyota’s research and design facility in Torrance, Calif.

Toyota launched its Mirai fuel cell-powered sedan in 2015, which was followed by Honda’s Clarity sedan last December. Hyundai also sells a fuel cell vehicle, the Tucson FCV. Several other carmakers are due to launch their own models in coming years.