North Carolina-based hydrogen fuel company OneH2 completed the first stage of a dedicated hydrogen fuel plant for the East Coast that can serve forklift fleets and eventually heavy-duty trucks.

The plant is designed to provide deliveries of ready-to-use bulk hydrogen gas for the industrial truck and heavy vehicle markets. Primarily servicing today’s hydrogen powered forklift fleets, the stage one project based in Longview, North Carolina, will provide zero-emission fuel to about 1,000 industrial trucks throughout the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Upon completion of stages two and three, the facility will also service the burgeoning hydrogen-powered semi-tractor market, particularly for trucks conducting linehaul runs between Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville. When fully complete, OneH2’s investment in the Longview hub will approach $16 million in hydrogen production capital, according to the company.

The company will also be providing hydrogen fuel to the West Coast. OneH2 was selected to supply hydrogen for a fleet of fuel cell electric trucks that will operate at the Ports of Los Angeles and San Diego. The small fleet of hybrid trucks was funded through a California Air Resources Board grant and other technology partners.

One of the main objectives of the project is to provide both the state of California and commercial enterprise with performance data in order to assess the overall benefit of the operation of hydrogen powered trucks under real-world conditions. OneH2’s role will be to provide both mobile and fixed hydrogen infrastructure to allow truck refueling, as well as the necessary hydrogen fuel to power the fleet.

OneH2 president and CEO Paul Dawson said he has confidence that hydrogen fuel will be the zero-emissions fuel of choice for the heavy truck market and it could eventually make sense for passenger vehicles as well.

“It has the refuel-and-go convenience of gasoline or diesel with the efficiency and environmental benefits of an electric vehicle,” said Dawson. “With line of sight on price parity with conventional motor fuel, we believe that it won’t be long before the heavy truck market tips in favor of hydrogen.”