A few days ago I posted in my social media channels the idea of putting a hydrogen fueling station in Mesa Verde, California which is on the border with Arizona. I’ve had a couple of fuel cell car drivers contact me who would like to drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix and back and I thought this would be a prime, strategic location.
A hydrogen pump could also be integrated within a Valero station that is currently in Mesa Verde.
So, I contacted Keith Malone with the California Fuel Cell Partnership with this idea and here is what he said, “For the first ~100 stations, it appears that most of the stations will focus on California. For the next milestone of 200 stations, I suspect you’ll begin to see stations that will enable drivers to drive out of state.
“The closest station you’ll see near Mesa Verde over the next few years is a destination anticipated for Palm Springs.”
He went on to say, “Also, remember to look at the Nikola map and where they intend to have fueling stations. They’ve said they intend to fuel all vehicles and they have a few interesting locations that will enable light-duty drivers to get out of state with their FCEVs.
“CaFCP’s 2030 vision document, which will be released in the coming month, takes into account the synergies between heavy duty and light-duty vehicles, both with regards to station locations and the effect of increased hydrogen production on fuel prices.”
So, when checking out the Nikola map I noticed that one hydrogen fueling station is slated to be built in Quartzite, Arizona a mere 30 miles from my proposed Mesa Verde, CA site. And I think this will work just as well.
Thank you Keith Malone for the excellent input.