Toyota Joins California Hydrogen Push in Station Funding

Toyota, the large Japanese manufacturer of automobiles, has joined the state of California in bringing more alternative fuel stations online in the state.

The grants awarded for this type of work from the government are large – although it is still unsure which fuel source will the next “big thing”.

An employee fills up a Toyota Motor Corp. fuel cell vehicle (FCV) prototype, right, with hydrogen in Tokyo. Toyota is backing First Element Fuel as California provides grants worth $46.6 million for hydrogen-fuel stations that will help companies including Toyota, Hyundai Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. build a market for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles arriving this year and next.

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) is funding astartup led by General Motors Co.s former marketing chief tospeed up the opening of hydrogen-fuel stations in Californianeeded for zero-emission cars.

Toyota is backing First Element Fuel, led by Joel Ewanick,with at least $7.2 million, according to letters filed with the California Energy Commission and obtained by Bloomberg News.FirstElement, based in Newport Beach, California, plans tooperate pumps and sell hydrogen for passenger cars from at least19 new stations in California.

The Japanese automakers support for the closely held company comes as California provides grants worth $46.6 million for hydrogen-fuel stations that will help companies including Toyota, Hyundai Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. build a market for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles arriving this year and next.

The California Energy Commission grants will open 28 new hydrogen stations and one mobile refueler in the state, Rachel Grant Kiley, a commission officer, said in a phone interview. California, with just nine public hydrogen stations open and 17in development, announced a program last year worth as much as $200 million to create a 100-station network over a decade.

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