Hyroad Energy partnership aims to boost California's hydrogen trucking network

Hyroad Energy continues to make headlines this week following the announcements about restoring Nikola trucks' subscription service connectivity next month and the revival of end-to-end maintenance and other essential truck services that were cut off following Nikola's bankruptcy last February.

Today, Hyroad has another significant announcement relevant for some (but not all) members of California's Nikola Tre hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) semi community.

The company, which won the bankruptcy auction for Nikola Corporation in August, revealed today it's formed a strategic partnership with also Calif.-based Pacific Clean Fuels, Powered by Pape, and OneH2 in order to support and help revive one of the Golden State's largest of hydrogen-powered truck fleet deployments.

Hyroad plans to deploy a portion of its fleet of 113 Nikola FCEV trucks (acquired last August) to service major freight corridors linking the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. As part of the partnership, OneH2—working with Pacific Clean Fuels—is building a hydrogen refueling station in Long Beach that will exclusively supply Hyroad's trucks. 

The initiative, according to Hyroad CEO Dmitry Serov, marks a significant step in the expansion of Hyroad's hydrogen refueling network in California and Texas, furthering the company’s long-term goal of establishing comprehensive regional coverage.

"Building a sustainable hydrogen trucking ecosystem means aligning every part of the value chain,” said Serov. "Pacific Clean Fuels and OneH2 share our vision for scaling hydrogen freight through real infrastructure and operational readiness. Partnerships like this are how we connect the pieces needed to support long-term, commercial hydrogen operations."

Scaling hydrogen trucking demands close coordination among truck operators, fuel suppliers, and service providers. This partnership, the companies believe, brings those elements together by linking Hyroad's truck-as-a-service (TaaS) model with Pacific Clean Fuels' hydrogen infrastructure and OneH2's heavy-duty fueling systems. 

The companies say the collaboration will help create a connected hydrogen network across California and Texas, supporting practical, reliable zero-emission freight.

While this certainly sounds like solid progress for Nikola FCEV fleets and operators, there's still some understandable skepticism.

Nikola owner's valid concerns

Bill Hall, owner of Berkeley, Calif.-based Coyote Container, who has experienced months of limited functionality with his Nikola FCEV, is one of those skeptics.

 

"For me, Long Beach is 400 miles one way to fuel my truck," Hall explained to Clean Trucking. "Ask them what the fuel price will be as that is key. I just don't see any of it as viable without affordable fuel."

Bill Hall, owner of Port of Oakland-based Coyote Container, poses with his Nikola Tre FCEV semi.Coyote Container

 

Hydrogen pricing remains a chief concern for Hall, even if Hyroad and its partners successfully expand its hydrogen fueling network to the Port of Oakland where he operates. 

 

"If you are producing electrolyzed hydrogen in California it must be solar or wind powered otherwise the energy costs alone propel you above $20/kg. Pyrolysis with natural gas will likely cut energy costs significantly."

 

Clean Trucking has inquired with Hyroad on how it intends to produce the hydrogen and we'll update this space if we hear back. In the meantime, the revival of currently dormant Nikola fleets is about to get underway, and hopefully everyone will equally benefit.