The U.S. Department of Energy plans to invest up to $100 million over five years to fund two new DOE National Laboratory-led consortia to advance hydrogen and fuel cell technologies research and development.

“Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies have the potential to enable resiliency, energy security, and economic growth across multiple sectors,” said Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes.

One consortium will conduct R&D to achieve large-scale, affordable electrolyzers, which use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and can be powered by natural gas, nuclear energy, or renewables. By creating more durable, efficient, and low-cost electrolyzers, it will help support large industry deployment of this technology.

The other consortium will work to accelerate the development of fuel cells for heavy-duty vehicle applications, including over-the-road trucks. This initiative will set a five-year goal to prove the ability to have a fully competitive heavy-duty fuel cell truck that can meet all durability, cost, and performance requirements that are needed to make it viable for the trucking industry.

“We have made tremendous technological progress on fuel cells, electrolyzers, and fundamental materials, but hydrogen infrastructure remains a critical barrier we are committed to overcome,” said Assistant Secretary Simmons.