Comment Log Display

The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trains Association appreciates your request
for our contribution to the CARB scoping scenario plan modeling for
the Freight and Passenger Rail portion.  We understand that this
scoping only pertains to the State of California.

Your organization has outlined four input assumptions to meet
California Executive Order N-79-20. Clearly, we favor Alternative
1, but we would also like to propose a more aggressive alternative
for the Freight and Passenger Rail sector. Not only are new
affordable hydrogen fuel cell powered train sets available now (see
attachment), the technology to convert an existing diesel
locomotive to a hydrogen fuel cell powered locomotive is also
available.
(https://cleantechnica.com/2021/03/25/all-eyes-on-4-million-diesel-killing-hydrogen-locomotive-in-california/)
(https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/news/121400/severn-valley-railway-convert-locomotive-hydrogen/)

We see that Alternative 1 for the Truck ZEV sector has a
stipulation that, by 2035, only zero emission freight trucks will
be allowed on California's roads. Because, as mentioned above, a
diesel locomotive, using the same frame, can be converted to a
hydrogen fuel cell powered locomotive, we propose that not only
should all new passenger and other locomotive sales be ZEV by 2035,
but that only ZEV line haul and commuter locomotives should be
allowed on California tracks by 2035. This would match up with the
Truck requirement.

Please feel free to use us a resource and contact us with any
questions or documentation that you may require.