Expanding the Nation’s Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure with H2LA—the I-10 Hydrogen Corridor from Houston to LA

GTI Energy is collaborating with a team of partners across the energy sector to leverage a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of a flexible and scalable blueprint for an investment ready, hydrogen fueling and heavy-duty freight truck network from Houston to Los Angeles (H2LA) along I-10, including the Texas Triangle Megaregion. Zero-emission vehicle corridors along major interstates will reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, and expand access to zero-emission infrastructure for surrounding communities and businesses.

The H2LA project team consists of GTI Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), ExxonMobil, The University of Texas at Austin (UT), Walmart, and many other energy producers and retailers, Clean Cities Coalitions, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, truck manufacturers, and industry associations.

The team is assessing how hydrogen corridors will balance the supply and demand of energy used for transportation, looking at infrastructure deployment processes, and developing hydrogen refueling infrastructure plans in the H2LA Corridor that represents a significant portion of freight movement within Texas and between three of the largest U.S. ports—Port Houston, Port of LA, and Port of Long Beach. These ports carry approximately 38% of the import/export volume in the U.S., on a twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) basis. Modeling efforts will identify hydrogen supply and demand hotspots, outline co-dependencies and economics, evaluate current technologies, and forecast technology adoption scenarios, using a purpose-built tool.

The H2LA project is also focused on assessing the potential benefits to surrounding communities and evaluating local environmental justice and workforce needs. A blueprint will be established so H2LA can be replicated in future interstate corridors across the country.