DENVER–AAA Colorado, the state’s largest not-for-profit organization, today announced it has joined with New Day Hydrogen (NDH) to lead the way in bringing hydrogen-powered trucks and consumer vehicles to Colorado.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), like battery-electric vehicles (EVs), produce zero emissions out of the tailpipe. Unlike battery EVs, FCEVs take only a few minutes to fuel up, are largely unaffected by cold temperatures, and can scale efficiently – allowing for both consumer trucks and heavy-duty vehicles, such as tow trucks.
“Adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology will help Colorado reach its carbon-reduction goals, as fuel cell electric vehicles offer vehicle owners the same performance and experience as their current vehicle,” said New Day Hydrogen’s Chief Executive Officer Seth Terry, “with no lost time to charging, and no range anxiety.”
Under the agreement, AAA plans to introduce America’s first hydrogen-powered tow trucks and other emergency rescue vehicles in Colorado. New Day Hydrogen will provide the fuel to support these vehicles by designing and constructing stations to create hydrogen fueling by electrolysis, a process that creates emissions-free hydrogen from water and renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.
In time, those stations can open up to other fleet users and the general public – paving the way for FCEV adoption among Coloradans.
All told, transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants in Colorado and across the country. Hydrogen infrastructure will play a critical role in reducing those emissions, especially in Colorado – where we’re lucky to have a consistent supply of green energy on our grids and where motorists regularly choose to drive all-weather, all-terrain vehicles across long distances.
Major automotive manufacturers – such as Toyota, Hyundai, General Motors, Ford, among others – already have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market or are working to develop these transportation options in America and internationally. In California, for example, there are already more than 8,000 FCEVs on the road.
“As the organization that popularized the automobile more than a century ago, AAA has an unmatched record of leading the charge for new transportation technology,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA. “In working to roll out America’s first hydrogen-powered emergency rescue fleet, we’re confident we can fundamentally change the mobility landscape yet again as we address climate change by increasing consumer choice. Long a center of environmental innovation, Colorado’s the perfect place to start.”
About AAA Colorado
AAA Colorado is a proud part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the second-largest AAA club in North America with more than 14 million members across 14 U.S. states, the province of Quebec and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety.
About New Day Hydrogen
Founded to pursue decarbonization for the transportation and power generation sectors, New Day Hydrogen (NDH) builds markets and develops projects around green hydrogen. Initially, NDH is focusing efforts on hydrogen fueling stations in Colorado, but is simultaneously developing a pipeline of other opportunities including hydrogen master planning, working with utilities on microgrid strategies, and delivery of renewable energy from rural, grid-isolated regions.
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