Lost Highway

2 months ago 42

In 2004, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced plans for a “hydrogen highway.” It called for a caller benignant of substance station, built to enactment a caller benignant of electrical vehicle. Cars powered by hydrogen substance cells could assistance cleanable up the aerial and escaped the US from overseas lipid — and California could pb the way.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

That’s not what happened. Twenty years later, the American car manufacture is shifting overwhelmingly to electrical vehicles... but they tally connected batteries, not hydrogen. The hydrogen road is littered with shortages, precocious prices, and faulty equipment. Thousands of drivers crossed the authorities are near wondering whether they stake connected the incorrect future.

Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

We wanted to find retired what happened to California’s hydrogen dream.

So, we deed the road.

Lost Highway

By William Poor

a stripped down representation of California, showing the way the squad took from the Bay Area to Los Angeles

Our mission: a astir 450-mile travel crossed California successful a Toyota Mirai, the astir fashionable hydrogen-powered car connected the marketplace today. We planned to thrust astir the Bay Area, down done Central California, and into Los Angeles, visiting arsenic galore stations and gathering arsenic galore drivers arsenic imaginable on the way.

bay area

Milpitas

We rented a Mirai connected Turo — it was 1 of lone 2 disposable hydrogen-powered cars connected the level successful the Bay Area. The car’s owner, Salman, told america helium was acrophobic astir our itinerary.

Cupertino

Manideep and Rupesh were the archetypal substance compartment drivers we met. They’ve been driving their Mirai for astir 4 months, and portion they emotion the car, the substance concern is wearing connected them. They besides had immoderate proposal for our roadworthy trip.

Sunnyvale

All the hydrogen pumps we saw were co-located astatine accepted state stations; the hydrogen distributor leases the abstraction from presumption owners. At immoderate stations, hydrogen pumps were sandwiched betwixt state pumps.

Palo Alto

One pump we visited successful Palo Alto has been offline for 2 years. The pump’s operator, FirstElement Fuel, told america that it took the pump implicit from a antithetic hydrogen supplier but that systems issues person prevented it from bringing the presumption online.

South San Francisco

Earlier this year, Shell closed astir each of its hydrogen stations crossed the state; determination are nary longer immoderate progressive stations successful the metropolis of San Francisco. It’s enactment further strain connected the remaining Bay Area stations.

Oakland

Another Mirai operator we met, Rebecca, was committed to her car and much optimistic astir the aboriginal of hydrogen.

San Jose

We needed to apical disconnected the vessel earlier leaving the Bay Area. The last presumption we visited was online — but really getting substance was different story.

Along the I-5 corridor betwixt San Francisco and Los Angeles, determination are hundreds of artillery EV charging plugs — and 1 hydrogen pump. It’s astatine a spot called Harris Ranch, a remainder halt heavy successful California’s Central Valley. Since our Mirai wasn’t apt to marque it each the mode to SoCal connected 1 tank, we stopped astatine Harris Ranch to refuel and spot whether different hydrogen roadworthy trippers showed up.

coalinga

Harris Ranch Resort

The Harris Ranch Resort is massive. In summation to a Shell state station, Tesla Superchargers, and a hydrogen pump, it besides boasts a Spanish hacienda-style hotel, aggregate restaurants, and a acquisition store with its ain butcher counter.

Tesla Supercharger

The Harris Ranch Supercharger presumption is reportedly the largest slope of chargers ever built by Tesla. While waiting for hydrogen cars to amusement up, we wandered implicit and asked Tesla drivers astir beingness with their battery-electric cars.

James Sweet Bonsai

James Kim has been selling bonsai trees for 23 years. His van is parked conscionable crossed the thoroughfare from the exit to Harris Ranch, and helium says helium gets customers from each over. His largest trees are much than 30 years old.

Hydrogen Fuel Station

After 4 hours of waiting, different Mirai yet showed up. Billy Chen has made the travel betwixt LA and San Francisco respective times — he’s the lone operator we recovered who has.

Since September of 2023, 13 hydrogen stations successful the Los Angeles country person been mostly offline owed to problems with a determination substance supplier. The shortage has been a large headache for substance compartment drivers successful LA — and determination are much present than anyplace other successful the state.

los_angeles

San Fernando

The archetypal presumption we reached successful Southern California had 4 substance pumps and was unaffected by the hydrogen shortage. Unsurprisingly, it was the busiest presumption we visited.

Sherman Oaks

There’s a attraction of hydrogen-powered cars present successful LA, but the ecosystem is inactive exceptionally niche. In the archetypal fractional of 2024, astir 322 substance compartment cars were sold successful California. At galore stations, Mirai sightings were rare.

Burbank

We heard a akin communicative from tons of drivers: they were considering a battery-electric car but were talked into a Mirai. Many regretted the choice.

Studio City

Like successful the Bay Area, determination are precise fewer stations successful Southern California extracurricular of Greater Los Angeles. So, roadworthy trips farther afield are risky.

Hollywood

As of publication, determination is nary estimation for erstwhile the hydrogen proviso shortage successful Southern California volition beryllium resolved, leaving stations similar this 1 offline indefinitely. The shortage volition deed the one-year people successful September.

Even if California’s hydrogen road falls apart, substance compartment exertion whitethorn inactive find its niche successful a decarbonizing world. The Verge’s Andrew Hawkins dove into the satellite of hydrogen-powered trucks, boats, planes, and a batch more.

Credits

Art Direction and Design: Alex Parkin Engineer: Graham MacAree Audio Production: Andrew Marino Supervisor Producer, Audio: Liam James Fact-Checker: Jasmine Arielle Ting Creative Director: Kristen Radtke Senior Creative Director: William Joel Copy Editors: Mariya Abate
Liz Hickson Senior Producer, Operations: Victoria Barrios Transportation Editor: Andrew Hawkins Editors: Justine Calma
Kevin Nguyen
David Pierce Engagement: Denise Cervantes Senior Editorial Coordinator: Sarah Smithers