California Firm Plans to Open Hydrogen Fuel Stations in 2015
FirstElement Fuel, which recently received final approval for a $27.6 million grant from the California Energy Commission to develop the first phase of the state's hydrogen-fuel network, has selected Black & Veatch as its primary engineering and construction provider.
Photo of hydrogen fueling station in Torrance by Thi Dao.
Photo of hydrogen fueling station in Torrance by Thi Dao.
FirstElement Fuel, which recently received final approval for a $27.6 million grant from the California Energy Commission to develop the first phase of the state's hydrogen-fuel network, has selected Black & Veatch as its primary engineering and construction provider.
The state grant will help FirstElement build 19 hydrogen stations in California, which will support the rollout of Toyota's fuel cell vehicle, which is slated for next summer. FirstElement expects to have its stations completed fall 2015, and has plans to build additional locations over the next five years.
Black & Veatch recently built a national EV charging network, according to Joel Ewanick, CEO of FirstElement Fuel.
"This experience makes them an ideal provider," Ewanick said in a news release. "We are not wasting any time. We started Monday."
FirstElement hopes to be profitable within five years, its co-president, Shane Stephens, told Wards Auto. In addition to the 19 stations already planned, the company wants to install 21 more over the next five years. The hydrogen will be sold at stations already gasoline and other fuel.
In addition to locations in heavily population areas, there are plans to offer hydrogen somewhere between Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as near Lake Tahoe.
Related:
More Operations
The Top 300 Commercial Fleets
The Top 300 Commercial Fleets: See the List
Read More →
Your Local Dealer Knows More Than You Think
Your local dealer can provide an information advantage that extends well beyond courtesy deliveries.
Read More →
Fleet Meets: Austin Schutte
Here are some industry insights, personal touches, and words of advice from the CEO and Founder of Anew Solutions.
Read More →
Soap Box Derby Challenge: What’s Powering Team Brown
The car is coming together, the students are solving real build problems, and the fleet industry is helping push Team Brown toward the starting line.
Read More →
Commercial Fleet Sales Contribute To June, YTD Gains
The fleet sector has boosted its vehicle purchases at a reliable pace in the first half of this year compared with 1H 2025.
Read More →
What Fleet Managers Really Want From Vendors
From customer service frustrations and technology breakdowns to RFQs, change management, and the growing impact of turnover across the industry, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the real operational challenges fleet managers are navigating every day.
Read More →
Fleet Safety Masterclass: Industry Leaders on Storytelling, Strategy & Innovation
In this special masterclass episode, industry leaders break down what it really takes to build safer fleets in today’s increasingly distracted and data-driven world.
Read More →
Integrating Legacy Fleet Systems and Historical Data
In this episode, we bring together fleet and technology leaders to unpack the realities of data integration, system migrations, and the evolving role of AI in fleet management.
Read More →
From Resistance to Results: Change Management Strategies for Fleets
From new technologies and safety programs to evolving regulations, fleets are under constant pressure to adapt. But as Dr. Betz explains, success isn’t about the system you implement—it’s about whether your people actually use it.
Read More →