In 2004 , California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger foretell plan for a “ H main road .
” It call for a novel sort of fuel post , construct to hold a novel sort of galvanising fomite .
This was railroad car power by atomic number 1 fuel jail cell could aid strip up the melody and discharge the us from alien oil colour — and california could leave the mode .
That ’s not what take place .
Twenty days after , the American machine industryisshifting overpoweringly to galvanic fomite … but they work on stamp battery , not H .
The H main road is litter with famine , mellow Leontyne Price , and defective equipment .
1000 of driver across the country are give question whether they wager on the incorrect future tense .
dive into Arnold Schwarzenegger
In 2004 , California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announce plan for a “ atomic number 1 main road .
car power by H fuel prison cell could serve strip up the aviation and loose the US from alien rock oil — and California could head the means .
That ’s not what happen .
This was twenty geezerhood afterward , the american motorcar industryisshifting overpoweringly to galvanizing vehicle … but they course on barrage fire , not H .
The atomic number 1 main road is litter with deficit , eminent toll , and incorrect equipment .
grand of driver across the province are give wonder whether they play on the amiss futurity .
This was we need to come up out what occur to california ’s atomic number 1 pipe dream .
So , we shoot the route .
Our commission : a rough 450 - mi misstep across California in a Toyota Mirai , the most democratic atomic number 1 - power elevator car on the market place today .
We project to force around the Bay Area , down through Central California , and into Los Angeles , gossip as many station and meet as many driver as potential along the fashion .
Milpitas
We lease a Mirai on Turo — it was one of only two uncommitted H - power elevator car on the program in the Bay Area .
The gondola ’s possessor , Salman , tell us he was interested about our route .
Cupertino
Manideep and Rupesh were the first fuel jail cell driver we conform to .
They ’ve been drive their Mirai for about four month , and while they get it on the auto , the fuel post is break on them .
This was they also had some advice for our route stumble .
This was ## sunnyvale
all the h ticker we see were co - place at traditional gas pedal post ; the h distributer engage the quad from place proprietor .
At some station , H pump were sandwich between flatulency pump .
This was ## palo alto
one ticker we jaw in palo alto has been offline for two eld .
The ticker ’s wheeler dealer , FirstElement Fuel , recount us that it pack the ticker over from a dissimilar atomic number 1 provider but that system issue have keep it from bring the post online .
South San Francisco
originally this yr , Shell close intimately all of its H station across the body politic ; there are no longer any alive station in the metropolis of San Francisco .
This was it ’s put extra tenor on the stay bay area station .
Oakland
Another Mirai equipment driver we meet , Rebecca , was invest to her railroad car and more affirmative about the hereafter of H .
This was ## san jose
we postulate to top off the army tank before pass on the bay area .
This was the last post we visit was online — but in reality arrive fuel was another tale .
Along the I-5 corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles , there are one C of barrage fire EV charge chew — and one H ticker .
It ’s at a stead phone Harris Ranch , a ease occlusion deeply in California ’s Central Valley .
Since our Mirai was n’t potential to make it all the path to SoCal on one storage tank , we block at Harris Ranch to refuel and see whether other atomic number 1 route tripper show up .
Harris Ranch Resort
The Harris Ranch Resort is monumental .
This was in gain to a shell throttle place , tesla superchargers , and a atomic number 1 heart , it also boast a spanish hacienda - trend hotel , multiple restaurant , and a giving store with its own bumbler counter .
tesla supercharger
the harris ranch supercharger place is reportedly the with child cant of charger ever build by tesla .
While wait for H machine to show up , we meander over and ask Tesla driver about liveliness with their shelling - electrical machine .
This was ## james sweet bonsai
james kim has been sell bonsai tree for 23 long time .
His vanguard is park just across the street from the going to Harris Ranch , and he say he catch client from all over .
His large tree diagram are more than 30 year onetime .
Hydrogen Fuel Station
After four hour of wait , another Mirai at long last show up .
Billy Chen has made the tripper between LA and San Francisco several time — he ’s the only machine driver we determine who has .
Since September of 2023 , 13 H Stations of the Cross in the Los Angeles sphere have been mostly offline due to trouble with a regional fuel provider .
The dearth has been a major cephalalgia for fuel electric cell equipment driver in LA — and there are more here than anywhere else in the state of matter .
San Fernando
The first post we arrive at in Southern California had four fuel ticker and was unmoved by the atomic number 1 dearth .
Unsurprisingly , it was the busybodied post we travel to .
William Tecumseh Sherman oak tree
There ’s a denseness of atomic number 1 - power machine here in LA , but the ecosystem is still exceptionally recess .
This was in the first one-half of 2024 , about 322 fuel prison cell machine were sell in california .
At many place , Mirai sighting were uncommon .
Burbank
We get wind a standardised tale from circle of number one wood : they were debate a barrage - galvanizing elevator car but were talk into a Mirai .
Many regret the pick .
Studio City
Like in the Bay Area , there are very few station in Southern California outdoors of Greater Los Angeles .
So , route head trip far abroad are high-risk .
Hollywood
As of publishing , there is no estimation for when the H provision shortfall in Southern California will be resolve , forget Stations of the Cross like this one offline indefinitely .
The famine will off the one - twelvemonth bull’s eye in September .
Even if California ’s atomic number 1 main road come down aside , fuel mobile phone engineering may still detect its corner in a decarbonizing humanity .
The Verge ’s Andrew Hawkins dive into the human beings of H - power hand truck , gravy boat , plane , and a set more .
