GFO-25-607 - Clean Transportation Program Hydrogen Infrastructure Project Opportunity (HIPO)
Project Information
- Bid Title
- GFO-25-607 - Clean Transportation Program Hydrogen Infrastructure Project Opportunity (HIPO)
- Issuing Agency
- California Energy Commission
- Location
- California
- Published Date
- Apr 6, 2026
- Closing Date
- Jun 19, 2026
- Government Level
- State & Local
- Status
- Closed
- Ref. #
- GFO-25-607
- Original Source
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- Bid Documents
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- Project Description
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GFO-25-607 - Clean Transportation Program Hydrogen Infrastructure Project Opportunity (HIPO)Solicitation Type Grant Funding OpportunitySolicitation Number GFO-25-607Solicitation Status ActiveDivisionFuels and TransportationProgram Clean Transportation ProgramRelease Date April 06, 2026Submission Deadline June 19, 2026, 11:59 pmQuestions Deadline May 07, 2026, 5:00 pmIMPORTANT: For this solicitation, use the new Energy Commission Agreement Management System (ECAMS) portal to submit an application. Applicants must have or create a user account in order to apply for this solicitation. For assistance, view the User Registration Instructions and Applying for a Solicitation .Purpose
The purpose of this solicitation is to fund the deployment of hydrogen refueling infrastructure for light-, medium-, and/or heavy-duty on-road fuel cell electric vehicles.
Solicitation FilesSolicitation EventsApril 23, 2026 | 02:00 PM - 04:00 PMRemote Access Only - Attachment Preview
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Test Title GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Clean Transportation Program
Hydrogen Infrastructure Project Opportunity (HIPO)
GFO-25-607
https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/solicitations
State of California
California Energy Commission
March 2026
Table of Contents
Attachments
1 - Project Narrative
2 - Scope of Work Template
3 - Scope of Work Instructions
4 - Schedule of Products and Due Dates
5 - Budget Forms
6 - Resumes
7 - Contact List
8 - Letters of Commitment
9 - Letters of Support
10 - California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Worksheet
11 - Past Performance Reference Form
12 - Applicant Declaration
13 - Letter of Intent to Place a Purchase Order
14 - NREL Data Collection Tool
15 - Renewable Hydrogen Report
16 - Evaluation Criteria for Priority Populations
17 - Station Checklist
18 - Project Readiness Checklist
I. Introduction
A. Purpose of Solicitation
This is a competitive grant solicitation. The California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) Clean Transportation Program announces the availability of up to $45 million in grant funds for projects that will fund the deployment of hydrogen refueling infrastructure for light-, medium-, and/or heavy-duty on-road fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
Of the $45 million, up to $21.2 million is dedicated to light-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure and up to $23.8 million is dedicated to light-, medium-, and/or heavy-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure.
The solicitation objectives are to:
• Deploy new hydrogen refueling infrastructure for light-duty (LD) vehicles, with an emphasis on stations located in Santa Monica/West Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego to alleviate market stress due to station demand, as well as medium-duty (MD) vehicles, or for heavy-duty (HD) uses including drayage, transit, and port operations. New hydrogen refueling infrastructure can also be a combination of the infrastructure types (mixed-use) listed above.
• Reopen temporarily non-operational (TNO) stations that would otherwise not return to open retail status.
• Provide additional funding for stations awarded under CEC Grant Funding Opportunity (GFO)-19-602 which are fully permitted and lacking capital to finish construction.
• Provide operations and maintenance (O&M) funding for the projects listed above once the station becomes open retail.
B. Background
Assembly Bill (AB) 118 (Nuñez, Chapter 750, Statutes of 2007), created the Clean Transportation Program. The statute authorizes the CEC to develop and deploy alternative and renewable fuels and advanced transportation technologies to help attain the state’s climate change and clean air goals. AB 126 (Reyes, Chapter 319, Statutes of 2023) reauthorized the funding program through July 1, 2035, and focused the program on zero-emission transportation.
The Clean Transportation Program has an annual budget of approximately $100 million and provides financial support for projects that:
• Develop and deploy zero-emission technology and fuels in the marketplace.
• Produce alternative and renewable low-carbon fuels in California.
• Deploy zero-emission fueling infrastructure, fueling stations, and equipment.
• Establish workforce training programs and conduct public outreach on the benefits of alternative transportation fuels and vehicle technologies.
C. Commitment to Diversity
The CEC is committed to ensuring that participation in its programs and funding opportunities reflects the rich and diverse characteristics of California and its people. To meet this commitment, CEC staff conducts activities to:
• Ensure potential new applicants throughout the state are aware of CEC’s programs and the funding opportunities.
• Encourage greater participation by underrepresented groups including disabled veteran-, women-, minority-, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-owned businesses.
• Assist applicants in understanding how to apply for funding from CEC’s programs.
D. Key Activities and Dates
Key activities including dates and times for this solicitation are presented below. An addendum will be released if the dates change for the asterisked (*) activities. Times listed are Pacific Standard Time or Pacific Daylight Time, whichever is being observed.
ACTIVITY
ACTION DATE
Solicitation Release
April 6, 2026
Pre-Application Workshop*
April 23, 2026
Deadline for Written Questions*
May 7, 2026
Anticipated Distribution of Questions/Answers
Week of May 18, 2026
Support for Application Submission in the Energy Commission Agreement Management System (ECAMS) until 5:00 p.m.
Ongoing until June 19, 2026
Deadline to Submit Applications by 11:59 p.m.*
June 19, 2026
Anticipated Notice of Proposed Awards Posting
Week of July 20, 2026
Anticipated CEC Business Meeting
October 2026
E. How Award Is Determined
Awards will be determined in the following manner:
1. Applications must pass screening.
Applications must first pass administrative screening and technical screening discussed in Section IV.A.2. and IV.A.3. Applicants that pass these screenings will proceed to Technical Evaluation, discussed in Section IV.A.6.
2. Applicants must achieve at least the minimum score required in Technical Evaluation.
Applications will be evaluated separately using the scoring scale shown in Section IV.D. A minimum score of 70 percent is required for the application to be eligible for funding. Also, applications must receive a minimum score of 70 percent on both Technical Evaluation Criterion 2 (Project Readiness/Implementation) and Technical Evaluation Criterion 3 (Project Budget) to be eligible for funding.
3. Applications will be ranked based on Cost Evaluation.
Applications passing Administrative and Technical Screening and scoring at least 70 percent in Technical Evaluation (as described in 1 and 2 above), will advance to Cost Evaluation, shown in Section IV.A.7. and will be ranked based on:
• Cost per refueling position
• Cost per kg of capacity
The applications with the lowest cost scores based on cost per refueling position and cost per kg of new capacity will receive the highest scores. Final funding recommendations will be made in rank order based on Cost Evaluation scores.
In addition:
• Stations originally funded under GFO-19-602 will be scored based on the planned number of fueling positions. For example, if a station with four fueling positions applies for $500,000 in additional funding, the station would be scored as $125,000 per fueling position.
• TNO stations will be scored based on the number of fueling positions planned once the station returns to Open Retail status. For example, if a TNO station with two fueling positions applies for $2 million and the station does not add new fueling positions, the station would be scored as $1 million per fueling position.
• New stations will be scored based on the proposed number of fueling positions at the site.
If the funds available under this solicitation are insufficient to fully fund a grant proposal, CEC reserves the right to recommend partially funding that proposal. In this event, the proposed Applicant/Awardee and Commission Agreement Manager (CAM) shall meet and attempt to reach agreement on a reduced scope of work commensurate with the level of available funding.
F. Availability of Funds
Up to $45 million is available for awards under this solicitation. Of the $45 million, up to $21.2 million is dedicated to light-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure and up to $23.8 million is dedicated to light-, medium-, and/or heavy-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure.
CEC, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to increase or decrease the amount of funds available under this solicitation.
G. Minimum and Maximum Award Amounts
Projects are eligible for up to 75% of the total allowable project costs. “Total allowable project cost” is the sum of CEC’s reimbursable share and the Recipient’s match share of the project costs.
The minimum award amount per application is $2 million. Applicants may apply for single project type or a combination of project types; however, the total requested amount must be at least $2 million and cannot exceed $15 million.
The maximum award amount per station for each project type is listed below:
• New infrastructure
o Applicants shall apply for a minimum of two (2) fueling positions per station and are eligible for an additional $1 million per additional fueling position. For example, if an Applicant applies for a four (4) fueling position station, the Applicant is eligible to receive up to $4 million.
o Maximum Award Amount per station: $15 million
• Reopening TNO stations
o Maximum Award Amount per station: $2 million
• Supplement GFO-19-602 stations
o Maximum Award Amount per station: $500,000
• Operations and Maintenance (O&M)
o Maximum Award Amount per station: $500,000
• Applicants may receive O&M funding only when it is requested in addition to funding for a station project that falls under one of the three project categories listed above. O&M funding cannot be applied for independently and must be tied to an eligible project in those categories.
• O&M funding awarded under this solicitation shall be available to reimburse eligible expenditures after the hydrogen refueling station becomes operational.
• Stations that received O&M funding under GFO-24-601 are not eligible for additional O&M funding.
Projects will be evaluated on the degree to which the proposed infrastructure demonstrates a highly cost-effective use of CEC funds, with a low cost per refueling position relative to the refueling capacity. Projects will be evaluated on both the dollar-per-refueling position and the dollar-per-kg.
Without limitation to any other of its rights and remedies, if the grant recipient requests changes to the scope of the project during the term of the agreement, the CEC reserves the right to decrease the budget accordingly.
H. Maximum Number of Applications
Applicants are only eligible to submit one application under this solicitation.
I. Pre-Application Workshop
There will be one Pre-Application Workshop; participation in this meeting is optional but encouraged. The Pre-Application Workshop will be held remotely through Zoom at the date, time and location listed below. Please call the Commission Agreement Officer (CAO) listed below or refer to CEC's solicitation information website at https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/solicitations to confirm the date and time.
April 23, 2026
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Via Zoom
J. Participation Through Zoom
Zoom is the CEC's online meeting service. When attending remotely, presentations will appear on your computer/laptop/mobile device screen, and audio may be heard via the device or telephone. Please be aware that the Zoom meeting will be recorded.
Zoom Instructions:
To join this workshop, go to Zoom at: https://energy.zoom.us/j/89656729385?pwd=gjUndHMfreWLyPmxfaRYPPqsV0OVU3.1 . You may also access the workshop by going to the Zoom webpage at https://join.zoom.us and enter the unique meeting ID and password below:
Meeting ID: 896 5672 9385
Meeting Password: 837036
Topic: Pre-Application Workshop for Hydrogen Infrastructure Project Opportunity Solicitation
Telephone Access Only:
Call (888) 853-5257 or (888) 475-4499 (toll-free). When prompted, enter the unique meeting ID number above. To comment over the telephone, dial *9 to “raise your hand” and *6 to mute/unmute your phone line.
Access by Mobile Device:
Download the application from the Zoom Download Center at https://energy.zoom.us/download .
Technical Support:
For assistance with problems or questions about joining or attending the meeting, please call Zoom technical support at (888) 799-9666 ext. 2, or you may contact the CEC’s Public Advisor’s Office at publicadvisor@energy.ca.gov , or (916) 957-7910.
To determine whether your computer is compatible with Zoom, visit: this website : https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-Windows-macOS-and-Linux .
K. Questions
During the solicitation process, for questions only related to submission of applications in ECAMS, please contact ECAMS.SalesforceSupport@energy.ca.gov . By contacting this email address, Applicants will be able to access a team of technical assistants who can answer questions about application submission. Please also see Section III for additional information about ECAMS.
Applicants may ask questions at the Pre-Application Workshop and may submit written questions via e-mail to the CAO listed in the following section. However, all technical questions must be received by the deadline listed in the “Key Activities and Dates” table above. Questions received after the deadline may be answered at the CEC's discretion. Non-technical questions (e.g., questions concerning application format requirements or attachment instructions) may be submitted to the CAO at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. of the application deadline date. Similarly, questions related to submission of applications in ECAMS may be submitted to ECAMS.SalesforceSupport@energy.ca.gov at any time prior to 5:00 p.m. of the application deadline date.
The question-and-answer set will be posted on the CEC’s solicitation information website at www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/solicitations.
Any verbal communication with a CEC employee concerning this solicitation is not binding on the State and shall in no way alter a specification, term, or condition of the solicitation. All communication must be directed in writing to the CAO assigned to the solicitation.
L. Contact Information
Carissa Peri, Commission Agreement Officer
California Energy Commission
715 P Street, MS-1
Sacramento, California 95814
E-mail: Carissa.Peri@energy.ca.gov
M. Reference Documents
Applicants responding to this solicitation may want to familiarize themselves with the following documents:
• California Department of Food and Agriculture, Division of Measurement Standards Zero-Emission Vehicle Projects . https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/dms/programs/zevfuels/
• California Climate Investments – Priority Populations. Priority Populations Resources — California Climate Investments https://www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov/resource-portal-priority-populations.
• CalEnviroScreen
https://oehha.ca.gov/calenviroscreen.• California Environmental Protection Agency. Final Designation of Disadvantaged Communities.
https://calepa.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/05/Updated-Disadvantaged-Communities-Designation-DAC-May-2022-Eng.a.hp_-1.pdf• California Air Resources Board. Senate Bill 350 Low-Income Barriers Study, Part B: Overcoming Barriers to Clean Transportation Access for Low-Income Residents. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/carb-barriers-report-final-guidance-document.
• Energy Commission Agreement Management System (ECAMS) https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/funding-resources/ecams-resources.
II. Eligibility Requirements
A. Applicant Requirements
1. Eligibility
This solicitation is open to all public and private entities, California Native American Tribes, and California Tribal Organizations serving California Native American Tribes.
Ineligible applicants include investor-owned utilities, California state government agencies, and United States federal government agencies.
California public entities such as cities, counties, and/or other eligible local government entities are eligible to apply, however, are subject to additional project requirements. See section II.B.2 for further detail.
Eligible Applicants must have less than or equal to fifty (50) active projects across all CEC-funded zero-emission vehicle infrastructure grant agreements, including block grants, at the time of agreement execution. A project is considered “active” if it has been awarded under one of CEC’s grants or block grant programs and construction has not finished on the project; a request for final reimbursement has not been submitted; final reimbursement is pending; or the agreement term has not expired. The CEC reserves the right to modify this requirement.
2. Terms and Conditions
Each grant agreement resulting from this solicitation will include terms and conditions that set forth the grant recipient’s rights and responsibilities. By providing the authorizations and certifications required under this solicitation, each Applicant agrees to enter into an agreement, if awarded, with the CEC to conduct the proposed project according to the terms and conditions that correspond to its organization, without negotiation: (1) University of California and California State University terms and conditions; (2) United States Department of Energy terms and conditions; or (3) standard terms and conditions.
In addition to the applicable terms and conditions listed above, the following terms and conditions may apply to the Applicant: Special Terms and Conditions for California Native American Tribes and California Tribal Organizations serving California Native American Tribes with Sovereign Immunity, in addition to the standard terms and conditions; the Special Terms and Conditions on Insolvency, Bankruptcy, or Receivership; and any other special terms and conditions required by the CEC. These terms and conditions are located at CEC's funding resources website at https://www.energy.ca.gov/funding-opportunities/funding-resources .
Failure to agree to the terms and conditions by taking actions such as failing to provide the required authorizations and certifications or indicating that acceptance is based on modification of the terms may result in rejection of the application. Applicants must read the terms and conditions carefully. CEC reserves the right to modify the terms and conditions prior to executing grant agreements.
If a California Native American Tribe (Tribe) or a California Tribal Organization serving a California Native American Tribe (Tribal Organization) with sovereign immunity is listed as a proposed awardee in the Notice of Proposed Awards (NOPA), before bringing the proposed award to a Business Meeting, CEC staff must receive (a) resolution(s) or other authorizing document(s) by the governing body of the Tribe or Tribal Organization which:
i. Authorizes the Tribe or Tribal Organization to enter into the proposed agreement, including accepting the Special Terms and Conditions for California Native American Tribes and California Tribal Organizations Serving California Native American Tribes with Sovereign Immunity, including the Limited Waiver of Sovereign Immunity and Consent to Jurisdiction; and
ii. Approves a limited waiver of tribal sovereign immunity, to the extent that any such sovereign immunity exists, for any and all claims by the CEC that may arise relating to this Agreement and any remedies therefore under the laws of the state of California and the laws of the United States of America; and
iii. Consents to personal jurisdiction over the Tribe or Tribal Organization, and consents to venue in any court of the State of California and any federal court sitting in the State of California; and waives any and all claim that the Tribe or Tribal Organization may have, including without limitation that such court is an inconvenient forum, for the purposes of any proceeding related to this Agreement; and, with respect to a proceeding in a court of the State of California or a federal court sitting in the State of California, any requirement that tribal remedies must be exhausted; and
iv. Delegates authority to execute the proposed agreement to an appropriate individual.
The above requirements may be provided in one or more documents. The document(s) will be included as an exhibit to the resulting grant agreement.
Delay in award. Any delay in the Tribe or Tribal Organization’s ability to provide the documentation specified in sections (i)-(iv) above may result in delayed award of the grant agreement.
Reservation of right to cancel proposed award. Funds available under this solicitation have encumbrance deadlines which the CEC must meet in order to avoid expiration of the funds. In addition to any other rights reserved to it under this solicitation or that it otherwise has, the CEC reserves the right to cancel a proposed award if it determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the documentation described in sections (i)-(iv) above would likely not be provided prior to an encumbrance deadline, and that the CEC’s ability to meet its encumbrance deadline may thereby be jeopardized. In this instance, the CEC may cancel the proposed award and award funds to the next highest scoring applicant.
3. California Secretary of State Registration
All corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships (LPs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) that conduct intrastate business in California are required to be registered and in good standing with the California Secretary of State prior to its project being recommended for approval at a CEC Business Meeting. If not currently registered with the California Secretary of State, Applicants and project team members (e.g., subrecipients and even match fund partners) are encouraged to contact the Secretary of State’s Office as soon as possible to avoid potential delays in beginning the proposed project(s) (should the application be proposed for funding).
For more information, contact the Secretary of State’s Office via the Secretary of State Office’s website at www.sos.ca.gov. Sole proprietors using a fictitious business name must be registered with the appropriate county and provide evidence of registration to CEC prior to their project being recommended for approval at a CEC Business Meeting.
B. Project Requirements
1. Eligible Projects
Applicants may propose projects for one or more of the following:
i. Installation of new hydrogen refueling infrastructure for light-duty (LD) vehicles, with an emphasis on stations located in Santa Monica/West Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and San Diego to alleviate market stress due to station demand, as well as medium-duty (MD) vehicles, or for heavy-duty (HD) uses including drayage, transit, and port operations. New hydrogen refueling infrastructure can also be a combination of the infrastructure types (mixed-use).
ii. Re-opening temporarily non-operational (TNO) stations that would otherwise not return to open-retail status. Applicants shall describe why funding is needed to provide additional Cap-X to return the TNO station back to open-retail status.
iii. Additional funding for hydrogen refueling stations awarded under GFO-19-602.
iv. Operations and maintenance (O&M) activities only if they are in addition to one of the projects above. Stations that received O&M funding under GFO-24-601 are not eligible for additional O&M funding.
For the purposes of this solicitation, LD vehicles are defined as Classes 1 and 2 on-road vehicles. LD vehicles are defined as having a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less. MD vehicles are defined as Classes 3 through 6 on-road vehicles. MD vehicles are defined as having a GVWR between 10,001 – 26,000 pounds. HD vehicles are defined as having a GVWR of 26,001 pounds and above and include weight classes 7 and 8.
Applications must propose projects that deploy infrastructure within California to support vehicles that operate in the state at least 51% of the time.
2. Infrastructure Accessibility Requirements
All LD stations must be Public Access.
If MDHD station Applicants are private entities, they may choose any of the following accessibility types for their projects:
i. Public Access – Open and accessible to the general public without restriction.
o Examples for LD include existing gasoline stations. Examples for MDHD include truck stops, and locations along major freight corridors or a mix of overnight and opportunity (en-route, fast filling). Public Access for MDHD may allow reservation systems so that operators are confident that a hydrogen refueling position will be available when they arrive.
ii. Private Access – Available to one dedicated MDHD fleet. Infrastructure is not shared with another fleet and not open to the public.
iii. Shared Access – Available to more than one MDHD fleet, but not open to the public.
For infrastructure projects supporting the fleets of California public entities (such as county governments, city governments, tribal governments, special districts (e.g., water utility districts, sewer utility districts, sanitation districts, air districts, publicly owned utilities), public colleges or public universities, and excluding the public entities covered by the exceptions listed below), applicants must propose infrastructure with at least 25% of the hydrogen refueling positions available as Public Access during normal operating hours. The remaining infrastructure may be Public, Shared, or Private Access.
Public Access requirements apply to all public entity Applicants, with the following exceptions:
i. If the Applicant is a school district and the proposed project is solely for refueling school buses, there is no Public Access requirement for their project.
ii. If the Applicant is a transit agency and the proposed project is solely for refueling transit buses, there is no Public Access requirement for their project.
Applicants proposing a project that will support a public entity must adhere to all requirements established for public entities. Exceptions will apply only to school district and transit agency projects as described above.
3. Vehicle Deployment Requirements
If proposing a Private Access infrastructure project (excluding the public entities covered by the exceptions listed in Section II.B.2), the MDHD fleet(s) that is being supported must commit to:
i. At least 5 MDHD FCEVs per hydrogen refueling position proposed for CEC funding. This must be a documented firm commitment that includes evidence such as purchase orders. For projects proposing new hydrogen refueling infrastructure, a minimum of two (2) refueling positions per station is required. This would equate to a minimum of ten (10) MDHD FCEVs.
The MDHD FCEVs being supported must either be new vehicles being procured or existing vehicles that were not able to be used due to a lack of infrastructure. New vehicles procured as part of a resulting grant agreement may be eligible for match funding. Existing vehicles are not eligible for reimbursement or match funding.
If proposing a Shared Access infrastructure project, the application must demonstrate that at least two fleets are being supported by the proposed infrastructure.
Shared and Public Access infrastructure projects are not required to meet the vehicle deployment requirements; however, applications will be scored on the degree to which proposed projects maximizes vehicle deployment and market growth.
If a project is a combination of Public or Shared Access with Private Access infrastructure, then the portion of the infrastructure with Private Access must meet the minimum FCEV commitment numbers listed above (excluding the public entities covered by the exceptions listed in Section II.B.2).
All applications, regardless of access-type, must demonstrate how the proposed project will maximize FCEV deployment, including descriptions of fleet commitments and strategies the Applicant will take to maximize market growth.
4. Infrastructure Deployment Requirements
Requirements for hydrogen refueling infrastructure:
i. Hydrogen refueling positions can be either 350-bar or 700-bar refueling position, whichever is compatible with FCEVs that the Applicant plans to use. If installing multiple refueling positions, they must be capable of simultaneous refueling.
ii. Projects proposing to install new hydrogen refueling infrastructure must include a minimum of two (2) fueling positions per station.
iii. Proposed projects to upgrade existing Open Retail hydrogen refueling stations are not eligible for this solicitation. However, projects that expand existing Open Retail stations, such as installing additional equipment rather than replacing, are eligible. Projects proposing to expand existing Open Retail stations must include a minimum of two (2) new fueling positions per station.
iv. Proposed projects must meet the Minimum Technical Requirements for Hydrogen Refueling Stations described in Section II.C.
v. The Applicant or a key project partner must operate each proposed station for a minimum of six (6) years. If the current site control agreement for the proposed project location is valid for less than the required six years, the Applicant must commit to operating that station until the current site control agreement ends and make a good faith effort to extend the site control agreement to continue operation for the full six years. If an Applicant does not meet the full six-year commitment, or if the Applicant closes the station shortly after six years without good cause, the CEC may seek repayment of grant funds. Applicants must submit a commitment letter as described in Section III.D. Application Content, to confirm their commitment to operate the proposed refueling infrastructure included in the application per the applicable Minimum Technical Requirements and explain any site control agreement limitations.
vi. A project proposing to expand an existing hydrogen refueling station must operate above its expanded capacity for a minimum of six (6) years. For example, a project proposing to add 2,400 kg/day capacity to a station with any existing capacity must maintain more than 2,400 kg/day capacity.
vii. If applicable, the Applicant shall contact the vehicle manufacturer(s) to determine the right size of the infrastructure to propose in the application. The discussion should include, but not be limited to, the size(s) of the FCEVs that will use the proposed infrastructure, the duty cycle of the FCEVs, and how fast the Applicant wants to refuel the FCEVs. The Applicant must provide the CEC proof of having this contact by submitting in its project narrative (Attachment 1) the date, names of the manufacturer representatives, a summary of the discussion, and the sizing of the proposed infrastructure based on the discussion. If the Applicant already owns the same type of FCEVs and infrastructure, the Applicant may submit information that shows how the existing infrastructure meets the duty cycle of the FCEVs and certify that the planned FCEVs and infrastructure will be the same.
viii. All equipment must be able to withstand extreme weather conditions associated with the deployment area, including extreme temperature, flooding, heavy rains, and high winds, and display screens are protected from malfunctions due to condensation and any local area weather conditions.
5. Fund Stacking: A project that receives incentive funding from another CEC grant funding opportunity (GFO) or block grant incentive project is not eligible for this GFO, with the exceptions of reopening TNO stations funded through CEC GFOs or applicants seeking additional funding for GFO-19-602 awarded stations.
6. Priority Populations: At least 50% of the locations in the application must directly benefit or serve residents of disadvantaged and low-income communities and low-income Californians in accordance with the map provided at Priority Populations — California Climate Investments https://www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov/priority-populations.
7. Data Collection
Applications that result in proposed awards and executed agreements will be required to collect data from the project and perform recordkeeping and reporting on operations and reliability as specified in the Scope of Work (Attachment 2). Applicants should familiarize themselves with these requirements and ensure they have systems in place to comply.
8. Letter of Intent to Place a Purchase Order
To ensure that the infrastructure funded under this solicitation will be utilized, Applicants of Private Access infrastructure projects must submit a Letter of Intent to Place a Purchase Order (Attachment 13) within three (3) months of agreement execution. The letter must specify the type(s) and number(s) of FCEVs to be procured and justify the need for the proposed infrastructure. If an Applicant cannot place a purchase order within three (3) months of agreement execution, the CEC reserves the right, in addition to any other rights it has, to offer funding to the next highest scored eligible Applicant on the NOPA list. While the purchase order must be placed within three (3) months of agreement execution, there is not a firm requirement by when the vehicles must be delivered. Infrastructure lead times or vehicle production lead teams may vary and the fleet operator may need to ensure alignment of those. However, the vehicle orders must take place and vehicles delivered by the time the infrastructure becomes energized and operational.
Applicants who already own FCEVs or have recently placed a purchase order for FCEVs that will use the proposed Private Access infrastructure must submit a letter stating the type(s) and number(s) of FCEVs and explaining the need for the new infrastructure instead of a Letter of Intent to Place a Purchase Order (Attachment 13).
C. Minimum Technical Requirements for Hydrogen Refueling Stations
All hydrogen refueling stations funded under this solicitation shall, at a minimum, meet and adhere to each of the following Minimum Technical Requirements for Hydrogen Refueling Stations during station operation.
The Recipient shall submit to the CEC a completed, signed, and dated Station Checklist (Attachment 17) for each station as it becomes operational. Should the hydrogen refueling station come out of compliance with the Checklist, or should the design change, the Recipient shall submit to the CEC a new completed, signed, and dated Station Checklist.
All of the following Minimum Technical Requirements for Hydrogen Refueling Stations shall be met at the exact station address approved by the CEC.
1. The hydrogen refueling station shall dispense hydrogen that meets California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 4, Business Regulations, Division 9, Chapter 6 Automotive Products Specifications, Article 8, Hydrogen Fuel Sections 4180 and 4181, which adopts SAE International J2719 Hydrogen Fuel Quality for Fuel Cell Vehicles.
i. Hydrogen quality tests shall be taken at each dispenser at the hydrogen refueling station once per year, at minimum.
ii. The hydrogen quality shall be tested at each dispenser at the station each time the hydrogen lines are either exposed or potentially exposed to contamination due to maintenance or other activities.
iii. The station operator shall report the date of each hydrogen quality test at each dispenser at the station and any special condition(s) and submit the results to the CAM.
2. All hydrogen dispensers used at hydrogen refueling stations shall meet CCR, Title 4, Division 9, Chapter 1, Article 1, Section 4002.9 Hydrogen Gas-Measuring Devices (3.39). The hydrogen dispensers used at hydrogen refueling stations shall comply with the most current version of the Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities Section 2.32 as published in U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 130, Uniform Laws and Regulations in the Areas of Legal Metrology and Engine Fuel Quality.
Prior to dispensing hydrogen for retail sale, all dispensers installed in hydrogen refueling stations for retail sale shall have either a Temporary Use Permit or Certificate of Approval issued through the California Type Evaluation Program (CTEP) administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Division of Measurement Standards (DMS). Alternatively, installed retail hydrogen dispensing systems may have a Certificate of Conformance issued by the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) administered through the National Council on Weights and Measures (NCWM).
i. The Recipient shall install only type-approved dispensers (i.e., which have gone through CTEP or NTEP approval) for retail sale. CDFA adopts, by reference, the most current version of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 44 Specifications, Tolerances, and other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices except as otherwise modified, amended, or rejected by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. CCR Title 4, Division 9, Chapter 1, Article 1, Sections 4001 and 4002, Additional Requirements, adopts California-specific amendment and modifications to NIST Handbook 44.
ii. When installing a type-approved hydrogen dispenser at any hydrogen refueling station funded under this solicitation, the Recipient shall notify the local county department of weights and measures of the installed device within 24 hours after the device has been placed in service.
iii. The newly installed dispenser shall successfully pass initial verification of accuracy class tests to receive the county weights and measures seal approving the device for retail use. Installed and approved dispensers will thereafter be subject to annual inspection and testing to ensure the device operates within its designated maintenance tolerance as indicated on the type approval certificate.
iv. The Applicant shall include a plan, in their application, for CDFA DMS, or a Registered Service Agency (RSA) (a person, firm, corporation or association that, for hire or payment of any kind, repairs commercial weighing and measuring devices) to conduct initial verification of accuracy class tests with the local county official(s) present to witness the testing of the dispenser(s) they plan to place in commercial service.
v. If the Applicant plans to use an RSA, that RSA shall be registered by the CDFA DMS, and their employees (Agents) shall be licensed by DMS before performing any installation, repair, or maintenance on any weighing or measuring device.
3. Should the Applicant opt to include H35, each H35 refueling position of the hydrogen refueling station shall conform to the most recent published version of SAE International J2601 (fueling protocols) at H35.
The compliance of the hydrogen refueling station with SAE International J2601 shall be verified using the most recent version of ANSI/CSA Group HGV 4.3 (test methods for hydrogen fueling parameter evaluation) by working with State of California employees who use the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen Station Equipment Performance (HyStEP) device or a functionally equivalent hydrogen station test apparatus, or a third party tester that uses a functionally equivalent hydrogen station test apparatus.
CDFA DMS is developing regulatory language to require a station evaluation process for verifying conformance to SAE International J2601 for all stations regardless of funding. The ability for a third party to perform this evaluation is one of the topics being considered. Recipients could be required to pay a fee to the State of California or a third party for station testing.
Should HyStEP, or a functionally equivalent test apparatus, be unavailable, the station developer shall evaluate a hydrogen refueling station for compliance with SAE International J2601 using best practices with the automobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). State of California employees and the automobile OEMs shall have access to the data generated and collected when evaluating a station with HyStEP, a functionally equivalent test apparatus, or using best practices with OEMs.
4. The hydrogen refueling station design and operation shall conform to the most recent version of American National Standards Institute/Canadian Standards Association (ANSI/CSA) HGV 4.9 (hydrogen refueling stations).
5. The hydrogen refueling station shall conform to the most recent version of SAE International J2799 (station communications), verified through the most recent version of CSA HGV 4.3 or an equivalently accepted industry standard.
6. The hydrogen refueling station shall conform to the fueling connectors, nozzles, and receptacle requirements in the most recent version of either SAE International J2600 or International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17268 Note: Fast fills, (greater than 3.6 kg/min) require a different nozzle with a different standard (ISO 27268:2012) and are permitted for HD vehicles only. The hydrogen refueling station should use applicable standards that are compatible with the FCEVs that will use the station.
7. The hydrogen refueling station components shall be installed and the station shall have a hydrogen fuel supply and a hydrogen supply and delivery agreement from a hydrogen production plant (on or off-site), with available capacity, and a second supply agreement as backup.
8. For Public Access stations, the hydrogen refueling station shall be connected and send data to the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Partnership Station Operational Status System (SOSS) available at https://m.h2fcp.org/. At a minimum, the following information shall be included in the data files transmitted to SOSS: H35 status (if part of the station design), H70-T40 status, the currently available H35 capacity (if included in the station design), the currently available H70-T40 capacity, the station name, and the station address. If light duty hydrogen dispensers are part of the station design and accessible to the public, the same data described above must be transmitted to SOSS.
9. The hydrogen refueling station shall have a guard or cover installed over the emergency shutdown system switch(es) to prevent unintentional station shutdown.
10. The hydrogen refueling station conforms to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2.
11. The hydrogen refueling station conforms to one or more of the following fueling protocols or an equivalently accepted industry standard:
i. J2601 – 1 LD fueling
ii. J2601 – 2 HD fueling
iii. J2601 – 5 MC Method for HD fueling
iv. JPEC-S 0003 Japanese Bus fueling protocol
12. The hydrogen refueling station conforms with the California Building Code.
... - Commodity Codes
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- NAICS 541330Engineering Services
- NAICS 541611Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- NAICS 541618Other Management Consulting Services
- NAICS 541690Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
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