City of Detroit embraces hydrogen as key to transportation future

Detroit want to “shape the global hydrogen conversation”, with the city’s Chief of Mobility Innovation Tim Slusser saying “hydrogen and EVs are both needed to reach our clean transportation goals”.

Slusser has called upon the hydrogen industry to partner with Detroit “to address current challenges for the success of the hydrogen economy”.

Detroit is uniquely positioned within the Midwest as a gateway to the US economy and major economic regions. 

Transportation innovation

The city’s 100+ years of automotive heritage and leadership has created the country’s highest density of engineering talent and transportation innovation. 

In addition, more than 60% of all US mobility and automotive R&D spending occurs in Detroit’s home state of Michigan. 

Slusser claims that no other city or region in the country has as many unique characteristics to make it a destination for addressing the clean freight sector and creating a long-term local market for developed hydrogen-based solutions.

Recently, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) established the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, an effort including up to $7billion to establish seven clean hydrogen production hubs spread across the country. 

Detroit is part of the successful Midwest Hydrogen Hub (MachH2) team and will have a “Truck Stop of the Future” deployed as part of that hub. 

The Detroit-Windsor border is one of the busiest international border crossings in North America, with over 40,000 commuters, tourists and truck drivers carrying $323million worth of goods across the border each day. 

The US Joint Office wants to begin expanding the hydrogen hub network by 2030. 

And Slusser said: “The City of Detroit is committed to creating a sustainable future for all our residents and we need hydrogen as a key alternative to fossil fuels for our transportation and mobility future. 

“Whether you arrive at hydrogen to mitigate climate change, reduce congestion, or as a defense against global instability, the time is now to develop local policy and programs, and build the right infrastructure to stimulate hydrogen adoption for transportation and mobility.”

Tipping point

“We are ready to push at this critical tipping point. The conversations about what’s next on wheels in c-suites, research labs, innovation incubators, universities, and repair shops all take place here in Detroit.

“We have the tools, talent, and local use cases to shape the global hydrogen conversation.

“This is not a this vs. that scenario. Hydrogen and EVs are both needed to reach our clean transportation goals across all sectors. 

“In fact, hydrogen is a form of EV. And what we must learn from the national EV adoption is that this kind of transformational change requires planning for demand to meet supply. 

“To achieve this, I am calling upon the hydrogen industry to partner with Detroit to address current challenges for the success of the hydrogen economy.

“Local understanding and advocacy for hydrogen adoption demands urgency – we must act now. 

“There are still voices that either fear hydrogen, don’t realize that hydrogen is part of the electrification equation, or haven’t yet grasped the critical role hydrogen will play in the future global economy.

“Detroit is ready to make the case with industry to build the necessary public support, operational knowledge, skilled workforce and production infrastructure so that when hydrogen technology is ramping up and ready to change the world, production is ready to fuel the technology adoption.

“Join us in Detroit! We put the world on wheels and now it’s time to get those wheels on H2!”

Detroit’s Hydrogen vision

Detroit is already working with several industry partners to support their hydrogen-related efforts spanning:

• Workforce and talent development
• Manufacturing and supply chain components
• Local uses cases and overall demand for hydrogen as a transportation fuel
• R&D and innovation

The Detroit region has seen significant investment in hydrogen related activities recently, including:

• Alta Equipment Group Inc. launched Alta eMobility business unit (November 2022).
• Nel Hydrogen announces a gigafactory in Michigan (May 2023).
• Charbone Hydrogen announces MOU to build first green hydrogen production facility in the US (December 2023).
• Fortescue commits to establish a US Advanced Manufacturing Center in Detroit (January 2024).
• GM and Honda begin commercial production at industry’s first hydrogen fuel cell system manufacturing joint venture (January 2024).
• Detroit DOT awarded FTA grant, including funding for 4 FCEV buses and refueling infrastructure (July 2024)

Conclusion

Detroit’s car industry has been a story of innovation, dominance, decline, and revival – and it is inspiring to see it embrace the hydrogen industry with open arms. 

While it no longer holds the same level of global dominance, Detroit remains an important hub for the automotive industry, particularly as the industry transitions to new technologies and markets such as hydrogen and EVs. 

The city’s car industry continues to be a vital part of its economy and cultural identity – and hydrogen will help keep Detroit at the forefront of the transportation future.

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