Cummins Accelerating Hydrogen Innovation With New Facility

On the heels of the signing of President Biden’s infrastructure bill and the progress at COP26, Cummins Inc. is continuing its efforts to scale the green hydrogen economy and accelerate the energy transition with the opening of its newest alternative power innovation facility in West Sacramento, California.

This Hydrogen Fuel Cell Integration Center will help Cummins make zero-emissions fleets a reality for more customers with its proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology.

“Our presence in West Sacramento is important to advancing hydrogen technologies while being a central part of the decarbonization conversation in the United States,” said Amy Davis, Vice President and President of New Power at Cummins. “With the most advanced hydrogen infrastructure system in the country, California provides a great ecosystem for advancing alternative power technologies. Ultimately, our goal is to accelerate change in transportation, innovate for our customers, and put more zero-emissions vehicles on the road. This facility will help us do exactly that.”

The new 18,000 sq. ft. Cummins site is designed specifically for hydrogen innovation, including safety features, and will house fuel cell integration and fuel cell powertrain development and testing, controls and electrical engineering. Cummins will be the largest tenant at the California Fuel Cell Partnership facility, which is occupied by other alternative power innovators and technology companies.

Cummins is investing in two types of hydrogen fuel cells: proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells and solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). At the West Sacramento facility, the focus is PEM fuel cells, which are considered a good solution for high-power transportation applications, like heavy-duty, long-haul trucks. When the hydrogen used to power a fuel cell vehicle is green, meaning it is produced using renewable electricity, the result is zero-carbon transportation.