Hydrogen is a funny fuel when it comes to cars. It was supposed to be the clean and convenient alternative to gasoline, but practical concerns have stopped it from properly catching on. Thus far, only a handful of public hydrogen stations have been installed in California and Hawaii, but finally, a third state has got on board. As a bonus, it’s offering hydrogen way cheaper than anyone else.
Enter Douglas County, Washington. It’s not as popular as Seattle, nor Spokane, but it boasts a population of some 42,000 people and is home to the state’s first public hydrogen station. It’s a pet project of the Douglas County PUD, a public utility responsible for delivering energy and connectivity services to the district.
The hydrogen filling station has been installed alongside a bank of EV fast chargers already established in the city of East Wenatchee. The station is equipped with H70 and H35 ports to accommodate different vehicles and storage pressures, but perhaps the most interesting thing is the pricing: the hydrogen fuel costs one-ninth what you’d pay in California.
Douglas County PUD notes that this is “the first consumer hydrogen refueling station in Washington State.”
If you happened to own a Toyota Mirai or other hydrogen vehicle in Washington state, you’re cheering right now. Not just because you can finally refuel your car, but because you can do it at the low, low price of just four dollars per kilogram. That’s wildly cheap compared to prevailing prices in California, where drivers can expect to pay up to $36/kg at the pump.
As a guide, at California prices, running a Toyota Mirai costs more per mile than a classic Dodge Viper. Prices are so high that it’s created an upstart black market in hydrogen fuel cards, which The Autopian reported in an exclusive investigation earlier this year.
At Washington prices, however, the Mirai is a pretty cheap vehicle to run. At peak efficiency, the Mirai can travel about 70 miles on one kilogram of hydrogen, which works out to about a dollar’s worth of fuel for every 17.5 miles. For comparison, a 2025 Toyota Prius achieves 57 mpg combined. At the current average gas price of around $3.22 a gallon, the Prius will take you 17.7 miles for each dollar of fuel expense. That’s right in line with a Mirai running on hydrogen at Washington prices.
It’s somewhat surprising that the fuel is so much cheaper in Washington, given all the effort that has been put into establishing hydrogen infrastructure in California. There’s a very good reason it’s cheaper up North, however: It’s because Douglas County PUD hasn’t just built a filling station, but has also built its own hydrogen production facility that uses Washington State’s abundant hydroelectric power. According to the utility, electricity makes up 80% of the input costs of hydrogen production. Thus, a cheap source of power means cheap hydrogen. As a bonus, the utility can use the hydrogen electrolyzer to burn off excess power to help stabilize the grid at times when renewable energy supplies are high and grid demand is low.
It’s worth noting, though, that hydrogen isn’t produced on site at the filling station. Instead, it’s produced at a purpose-built facility at Baker Flats, and trucked to the fueling station and other locations as needed.
The project has been a long time coming. OneH2 signed a deal with Douglas County PUD all the way back in 2022 for the development of the hydrogen terminal and fueling station. The timeline is not that unusual, given that the project involved building an electrolyzer facility that could produce hydrogen locally.
By building a fueling station in Washington state, Douglas County PUD has opened up whole new areas to hydrogen vehicle owners. Previously, we’ve explored how hydrogen car owners have been largely limited to driving around California and small slices of neighboring states, in order to remain in range of the few pumps on offer in the mainland US. Now, it’s possible for drivers to enjoy driving around Washington, and possibly even small neighboring sections of Canada. This is all thanks to the new facility and the roughly 200-mile radius one can drive a Toyota Mirai before having to turn back for more gas—hydrogen gas, that is.
Douglas County hasn’t just gone with the “build it and they will come” strategy. It has also secured a handful of used Toyota Mirai lease vehicles for its own use, and the local police department has one too. It’s possible that Toyota, Hyundai, and perhaps even other automakers may look to offering their hydrogen vehicles in the state, now that there is at least a minimal amount of supporting infrastructure.
Ultimately, this is a noble project from a dedicated public utility, though one shouldn’t expect a single filling station to make a wild difference in the prospects of the hydrogen car. It will still take a great deal more investment and development to convince the average motorist to consider a fuel cell vehicle for their next car.
Image credits: Douglas County PUD, DouglasCountyPUD via YouTube screenshot, EPA via screenshot
That little note about electricity being cheap in Washington… Yes. That’s why I drive an electric car. I pay 7 cents/kwh. This weird middle man of hydrogen doesn’t really make a lot of sense to run an electric car. I don’t fear range anxiety, because I’ve got a Volt baby! EREV/PHEV is a phenomenal solution for so many people, I hope to see it expand in the future.
I do actually like the idea of Hydrogen, but really only when used in an internal combustion engine, because that’s cool as fuck.
Hydrogen has been and will forever will be the worst energy bearer for vehicles because you lose 80% of the energy somewhere between energy generation and where the rubber meets the road. Compare this number with 20% losses for battery EVs. Practically and economically H2 continue to bind you to corporate distributors as you are today with fluctuating yet perpetually rising prices at the pump.
Hydrogen is ALL about continuing their business model, nothing else. Battery EVs are a paradigm shift, H2 is simply a different product they can sell alongside gasoline and diesel.
Hydrogen for transport is a fools errand when manufacturing steel, fertilizer etc uses a LOT of hydrogen. Those manufacturers also have no other option, it’s hydrogen or nothing.
So IMHO it makes a lot more sense to move these hydrogen generating station to the closest practical points nearest the biggest industrial consumers of hydrogen where they can still be powered by cheap surplus electricity from wherever and minimize the trucking (preferably with trucks that run on that hydrogen) needed to get that hydrogen to customers who now use hydrogen made from natural gas. Using this hydrogen to fill up cars is a complete waste of that valuable resource which I suspect is the actual goal.
The problem is those customers already have the equipment to turn the natural gas into hydrogen. Hydrogen deliveries by truck would have to be cheaper than the natural gas deliveries by pipeline that they are already buying. Never going to happen.
Regulation or taxes could make that happen.
Those manufacturers do have other options. Electric reduction of steel is becoming a thing, and there are lab scale demonstrations of Haber alternatives that operate at room temperature and pressure.
“Electric reduction of steel is becoming a thing”
Perhaps. But that would mean the need shifts from hydrogen to the electricity used to make that hydrogen. So either you have less hydrogen for transport or less electricity to make hydrogen for transport.
“there are lab scale demonstrations of Haber alternatives that operate at room temperature and pressure.”
Low temperature and pressure do not negate the chemical need for hydrogen to make ammonia from nitrogen:
https://rmi.org/low-carbon-ammonia-technology-blue-green-and-beyond/
Also lab scale demonstrations =/= practical, industrial scale solutions. If they were we’d all have been living cancer free lives while flying around in cars powered by nuclear fusion decades ago.
Oh this is in Wenatchee? That makes the argument for hydrogen even dumber.
Wenatchee’s electricity rates are so low that people have been using all electric heat for their homes there for a long time. Not a lot of places in the U.S. that can say that who also see winters. Therefore, EVs in the area would make loads more sense.
That’s why the transit agency in Wenatchee started looking at EV buses a while ago and has been running BYDs with high powered wireless chargers (I think up to 300kW …WIRELESSLY).
Fucking H2 fans need to stick with the industries that make sense for the fuel, and it ain’t passcar.
I was coming here to say the same thing. Cheap hydro, wind, and solar power, relatively remote location, and seemingly not attempting to coordinate with other areas to ensure people have enough range to take their cars across the mountains without worry.
But they get to be the first ones to implement a failing tech in the state!
I work as an engineer in fleet operations for a government entity and this vibe is so familiar I can practically feel the municipal pride from here.
I just have a hard time understanding how someone can be so proud of such massive gov’t waste.
Have you met many politicians?
One big thing to note is that while the US national average may be $3.22 gal in Washington it is about a $1 gal more. In Wenatchee in particular the best current price is $4.09 at Costco and many stations are $4.29. That means you are getting about 13.5 mi/$ in the Prius
Per the article that low price is due to the low electric rates in the area. The avg residential electric rates in the area are $.0322 per KWh. So the Busy Forx would be significantly cheaper than either, with about 110 mi/$, at least if charged at home.
Why.
Honorable mention for title graphic: “It’s a Miraicle”
I naturally read this as DC, which would have made perfect sense to me considering the pork and corruption there. Apologies to our Seattliens, Tacomacdaddies and Spokaniacs*, but the designator “…State” is still required in most contexts.
*Those are perfectly cromulent monikers
“According to the utility, electricity makes up 80% of the input costs of hydrogen production. Thus, a cheap source of power means cheap hydrogen. “
It would make more sense to use that cheap power for BEVs.
And for handling surplus power, it would make more sense and be more efficient to store the surplus power in a utility-grade battery bank
Yebut, but, Chairman Toyoda’s ego.
Or just keep more water behind the damn dam until demand goes up.
Utility-grade battery banks are pretty dang new, and usually don’t have a ton of capacity – we’re talking like half a day or so.
I always thought the Stranded Wind Initiative had a good idea: use cheap renewable energy to electrolytically produce ammonia, which you can feed into the existing fertilizer pipeline network or use as carbon-free fuel.
I’d be very curious to see a comparison between battery and hydrogen storage. Obviously the batteries will be more efficient, but will also require a ton of raw materials to build enough batteries, and the batteries have a finite lifespan and will need to be replaced. However, my understanding is that hydrogen tanks also have a finite lifespan, so that may not be much of an advantage.
Honestly, excess power storage is one of the few places I’ve ever thought hydrogen might make sense, but even then I’m not sure if the economics work out.
So, now California birders in need of a new hobby can add Mirai diaspora spotting to their activities.
Haven’t they given up on this yet? Honda, Toyota and Hyundai have been trying to sell this technology for years and apparently no one (or virtually no one) is interested. Shell just closed all their stations in CA last year because of ‘market influences’, read: no one was using them.
I think the market has spoken on this one.
It ain’t over until Toyota’s C-suite stop stomping their widdle feetsies and insisting it’s still the cat’s pajamas and EVs are for LOO-sers.
(which they might’ve, I don’t necessarily see everything in the ol’ news feed.)
“If you happened to own a Toyota Mirai or other hydrogen vehicle in Washington state, you’re cheering right now. Not just because you can finally refuel your car, but because you can do it at the low, low price of just four dollars per kilogram.”
Or maybe just if you live in Wenatchee.
It’s somewhat telling that the actual address of the filling station isn’t being publicized. Not even the Douglas County PUD’s “Electric Vehicle Charging and Hydrogen Fueling” page lists the address of the hydrogen station.
Yeah, really, its one single station in a fairly rural county in the middle of the state, it’s hardly anything that would benefit the vast majority of the people in Washington
Hell, even within Douglas County – the county itself is 1850 square miles, its got to be like 2 hours to drive end to end, this is only relevant to people in the immediate proximity of that station
Reading between the lines it appears to be located with their charging stations near on the PUD grounds.
But hey no need to advertise the location since there is only one vehicle in the area that can use it, the Toyota dealer’s courtesy car. Chances are if you are buying a H2 vehicle in the area it would be at that Toyota dealer who should of course inform you of the only location you can fill the vehicle w/o actually have to have the vehicle towed somewhere. Of course I’m betting the PUD will get a few Miraris for themselves.
How far away is the nearest California station? Does it make a west coast road trip possible even if you don’t have the spare range to leave I-5 through the entire state of Oregon?
About 800 miles to Truckee, CA which is the northernmost station in CA.
So, way too far.
Probably need to just make this announcement on Bring A Trailer.
I wonder if you can fill up at a welding supply or Airgas plant?
Some industrious soul could make 10s of dollars picking up cheap Mirais and Nexos that end up in weird parts of the county and importing them into central Washington.
We also have second most expensive gas prices in the US, but at least we got this going for us. Which is nice.