“We have a giant, beautiful, red paperweight in our driveway,” Snell says.

Snell is only one of many California hydrogen fuel-cell automotive homeowners going through difficulties as a confluence of unlucky occasions—tech limitations, rising station working prices, coverage modifications, even the Russian invasion of Ukraine—have hiked hydrogen gasoline costs and brought hydrogen fueling stations offline.

Just below 12,000 fuel-cell electrical automobiles, powered by hydrogen as a substitute of gasoline or pure electrical energy, were on the road in California in 2022, the place the overwhelming majority of the nation’s FCEV drivers reside. (Only one different state, Hawaii, even has a publicly obtainable hydrogen gasoline station.) American drivers purchased virtually 3,000 of the automobiles last year, in response to an business group.

FCEV drivers who spoke to WIRED report that they love their automobiles, which provide easy, snug rides and tech options, and have been bought, new or used, at decrease costs than aggressive automobiles. All three automakers (Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda) promoting the automobiles in California supply $15,000 gasoline playing cards with every buy as an added bonus. Some drivers advised WIRED that their FCEVs match neatly into their lives, as a result of they reside close to constant fueling stations, can depend upon one other automotive when costs get too costly, or don’t drive a lot in any respect. But others say they cannot hold the automobiles shifting.

“We are suffering from premature deployment,” says Robin Gaster, a public coverage researcher and senior fellow on the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation who just lately printed a report on clean hydrogen policy. Policymakers and automotive firms, he argues, have been too early to launch unproven hydrogen fueling expertise.

Sacramento resident Scott Werntz and his spouse Lori purchased a Toyota Mirai within the fall of 2022. A reduction and included fueling card made the automotive really feel like an important deal. But final 12 months the couple started to have to attend in line, typically for greater than hour, to refuel their automotive. Once, they needed to have their car towed after an area fuel-cell station went down whereas they have been ready to high up. Now, they are saying, they depend on one other automotive and a free of charge rental from Toyota to get round.

Toyota spokesperson Josh Burns stated the corporate is conscious of refueling points within the state. “We remain committed to working with stakeholders to support California’s hydrogen refueling infrastructure now and into the future,” he wrote in an electronic mail. He stated the corporate is working with Mirai homeowners to assist them on a case-by-case foundation.

A Hyundai spokesperson referred WIRED to Bill Elrick, the chief director of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership, who wrote that the Shell Hydrogen shutdown will “cause temporary challenges,” however that new automobiles, funding, and infrastructure made the group optimistic. Carl Pulley, a Honda spokesperson, stated that the corporate has made investments in hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California and highlighted the CRV e:FCEV, a brand new fuel-cell car set to debut this 12 months.

Shell Hydrogen spokesperson Anna Arata wrote in a press release that the corporate goals to “be more disciplined in our delivery,” and intends to speculate $1 billion in hydrogen and carbon-capture storage expertise each this 12 months and subsequent.