British Columbia’s clean energy vehicle sector encompasses approximately 200 companies working with a wide variety of technologies towards the common goal of transitioning to zero emission vehicles. One of the exciting technologies that has shown promise for accomplishing this goal is hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and when combined with oxygen, can generate electricity while only emitting water vapour as a by-product.1 Vehicles equipped with hydrogen fuel cell technology can be fueled in similar ways to a gas-powered vehicle, except instead of filling gas into the vehicle’s tank, the driver can fuel the vehicle with clean-burning hydrogen.
British Columbia has been identified as a key jurisdiction for the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology, with fuel cell manufacturers and major automakers investing heavily in the province.2 BC’s hydrogen fueling infrastructure program is working to expand the hydrogen fueling network in the province to support the growth of the sector and to provide options for fuel cell electric vehicle owners.
One of the BC-based companies benefiting from investments in hydrogen fueling infrastructure is HTEC (Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation). Founded in 2005, HTEC is a leading developer and provider of hydrogen supply solutions in both BC and California, and recently opened Canada’s first retail hydrogen refueling station in Vancouver at 8686 Granville Street in Vancouver in partnership with Shell.3
The hydrogen refuelling station in Vancouver is the first in a six-station network HTEC is building in Greater Vancouver and Victoria. HTEC is partnering with Shell on three of the six stations. Other partners include the Canadian Government through the Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative, LGM Financial Services (LGM), Western Economic Diversification Canada, and the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines and Petroleum Resources.4, 5
The ARC Program was designed to support companies like HTEC that are pushing boundaries and developing innovative solutions to meet the needs of an evolving transportation system.
For more information about HTEC, please visit their website at https://www.htec.ca.

Image Source: Shell International Limited
1 https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1729-hydrogen-the-number-1-element
4 https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/alternative-fuels/fuel-facts/ecoenergy/19464