Hydrogen infrastructure incentives by CEC

The second round of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE) Hydrogen funding lane will open for two weeks from April 27.

The funding lane offers the highest incentive funding cap of all four EnergIIZE funding lanes, covering 50% of eligible equipment and software costs for standard projects, up to $3m per project. Overall $29.7m in hydrogen infrastructure incentives are available.

If the applicant also meets the Jump Start equity criteria, then 75% of eligible equipment and software costs are covered, with the maximum amount rising to $4m per project. Eligible equipment and software covered for funding includes compressors, liquid and gaseous pumps, piping and pipelines, high-pressure storage, chillers, meters, switchgears, and electrical panel upgrades.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must show proof that their projects are intended for medium- or heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, that refueling stations are capable of dispensing 350 or 700 bar, and that they meet ASME, ASTM, and NFPA standards.

Applicants will be able to submit applications with supporting documents through an Incentive Processing Center at the opening of the application window. A Sandbox test application portal is available until April 21, to help prospective applicants familiarise themselves with the application process.

The hydrogen funding lane’s initial round of incentives opened last year, running for two weeks from late June. The incentive amount was $17m million and fully subscribed during the application period. The upcoming funding lane represents a 74.7% increase in available funding for hydrogen projects.

The EnergIIZE Commercial Vehicles Project is funded by the California Energy Commission and implemented by CALSTART and partner Tetra Tech.

EnergIIZE, with a total authorised allocation of $276m through 2026, provides incentives to purchase infrastructure equipment for medium-duty/heavy-duty (MD/HD) zero-emission vehicles operated and domiciled in California.

Through these incentives, EnergIIZE helps achieve the target set in Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-79-20 for all MD/HD fleets statewide to transition to ZEVs by 2035.