FirstElement Fuel today announced that it has received a $7.7 million grant from the California Energy Commission ("CEC") to increase the Company's Santa Ana, CA manufacturing facility output by more than 10 times. FEF, a California-based company, is the world leader in hydrogen refueling solutions, currently operating the world's largest network of hydrogen refueling stations comprised of 85 dispensers across 40 station locations and serving hydrogen-powered vehicles across California.
FEF's manufacturing facility in Santa Ana currently produces critical high tech components and systems for hydrogen refueling stations, including liquid hydrogen cryopump systems. The scale-up of the Santa Ana, CA FirstElement Fuel Innovation Center, partially funded by the CEC, will increase local jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling more zero-emissions transportation. FEF was awarded the grant through the CEC's Zero-Emission Transportation Manufacturing competitive grant solicitation. FEF will also contribute at least $14M to the project.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles have the capacity to transform modern transportation by eliminating tailpipe emissions, slashing carbon emissions, and more than doubling driving efficiency as compared to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. California State government policy has for decades supported a transition to hydrogen in the transportation sector as part of its zero-emission vehicle strategy, placing the State in a leadership position for hydrogen-related development. California's policies have also laid the foundation for FEF's success in becoming the world's leading hydrogen refueling station company. Setting up adequate supply chains and manufacturing of hydrogen refueling station equipment to supply the development of a hydrogen refueling network is critical to the successful scale-up of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
FEF's manufacturing expansion project will extend through March 2026 and enable FEF to increase by a factor of 10 the number of liquid hydrogen pumps built per year. FEF will also increase its pump testing capability at its hydrogen logistics hub and field-testing facility located in Livermore, CA as part of this project.