Hydrogen fueled vehicles line up at reopened Studio City station after state supply disruption

Drivers of hydrogen-fueled vehicles waited in a line of cars for over an hour Thursday night at the just-reopened True Zero station in Studio City, eagerly waiting to fill up after a supply disruption left many in the state essentially fuelless.

People pushed in their vehicles, towed them in, and waited, and waited at the Cahuenga Boulevard station, only to find out that the hydrogen fuel was being rationed, so they were unable to fill up completely.

"I was out for the last week; there was nowhere to add it," driver Carlos Enriquez said. "And then, I didn't make it up the hill on Cahuenga, I gotta get a tow."

The disruption in the gaseous hydrogen supply chain started in February, after a compressed hydrogen trailer exploded in Colton, killing one person and injuring another.

This temporarily closed many California hydrogen stations, with only nine available statewide. According to the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership, 21 stations resumed operations on April 9, including the Studio City station.

Another driver said that while she didn't have any fuel, she was hitching rides with friends, taking the bus, and paying for rideshares.

"When I bought the car, they said they were adding stations. But it's been four years, and I don't see any station," driver Thai Tran said. 

Many shared the sentiment that this crisis has shown the infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles might not be ready to meet the demand.