EU and Asia Advancing Hydrogen Fuel Cells as U.S. Balks

Hyundai is pursuing fuel-cell trucks worldwide.

Work on federally funded hydrogen hubs has been significantly impacted by recent policy changes under the Trump Admin. But companies are proceeding on the idea that the building out of the hydrogen economy will outlast the White House’s current rollback of clean-air standards.

Upon taking office President Trump issued Executive Order 14154, titled “Unleashing American Energy,” which included a freeze on grants and loans disbursed under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. This freeze directly affects the $7 billion allocated to seven regional hydrogen hubs, creating uncertainty about their future funding and progress.

Prior to this development, each of the seven hydrogen hubs had received initial funding for Phase 1 activities, focusing on planning, analysis and community engagement. For instance, the Midwest Hydrogen Hub, encompassing Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan, was awarded $22.2 million in federal funding in November 2024 to initiate Phase 1 activities over a 12– to 18-month timeline.

The funding freeze has led to a suspension of these activities. The Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which manages the funds, is now facing uncertainty regarding staffing levels due to the administration's workforce optimization initiatives. This situation may further impact the management and oversight of the hydrogen hub projects. Even if the administration loses court challenges over not paying out money already signed, a backdoor option is to gut the office of the people needed to implement the program.

Industry stakeholders have expressed concern over the halted progress. For example, Air Liquide, a partner in six U.S. hydrogen projects, has indicated that only two of these projects are likely to proceed under the current circumstances, particularly those focusing on hydrogen production from natural gas with carbon capture. The future of the remaining projects depends on forthcoming policy decisions by the administration and the stated intent of the White House to move planned hubs from blue states to red states.

Forvia is one of the leading suppliers to the transportation sector for fuel-cell technology. Tarek Abdel-Baset, chief hydrogen engineer, says the company’s customers are all moving forward with plans “because it is the right technology for the future,” whether the incentives are there or not. “Administrations come and go,” says Abdel-Baset.

The Truck Issue

The mandates established under the Biden Admin. to transition heavy-duty trucks from diesel to hydrogen or electric power have been significantly altered by Trump’s policy.

Additionally, California’s air regulator dropped a request to the U.S. EPA for a waiver that would have allowed it to force truckers to buy battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell trucks. The head of the California Air Resources Board said the agency withdrew the request because of concerns the Trump Admin. would deny it.

Heavy-duty diesel trucks are among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the transportation sector. While they make up a small fraction of total vehicles on the road, they account for nearly 25% of U.S. transportation emissions due to low fuel efficiency and high mileage, according to the EPA. Diesel trucks, as well as diesel-powered cargo ships at the ports of Los Angeles and San Diego, have been major contributors to smog in California.

“No matter what the U.S. does, we see truck makers still doing their work to advance hydrogen fuel cells because the U.S. is not the only market in the world,” says Tom Stevenson, chairman of Pajarito Powder, a New Mexico-based tech supplier to companies using fuel cells.

EU and Asian Opportunities Persist

The EU and various Asian countries are actively advancing hydrogen-powered transportation projects to decarbonize their transport sectors and reduce reliance on fossil fuels., especially energy that is supplied by Russia.

• Hydrogen Mobility Europe: This flagship project has deployed hundreds of fuel-cell hydrogen vehicles and established a pan-European network of hydrogen refueling stations across eight countries, creating the world’s largest network of its kind.

• JIVE and JIVE 2 Projects: These initiatives aim to deploy a total of 291 zero-emission fuel-cell buses and the necessary refueling infrastructure across multiple European cities, supported by significant EU funding.

• Hydrogen-Powered Trains: In March 2025, northern Italy announced the introduction of hydrogen-powered trains in Valcamonica, replacing diesel trains with 14 zero-emission models produced by Alstom. This €367 million ($414 million) project aligns with the EU’s strategy to incorporate green hydrogen into transportation.

• China Hydrogen: In 2022, China introduced its Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021–2035), aiming to produce 100,000 to 200,000 tons of low-carbon hydrogen annually this year. The plan envisions a comprehensive hydrogen ecosystem across transportation, energy storage and industrial sectors by 2035. The Energy Law, which went into effect in January, classifies hydrogen as a national energy resource, facilitating its integration into the energy system. China has rapidly expanded its hydrogen refueling network, with over 540 stations built by the end of 2024. Sinopec plans to construct 1,000 stations by 2026, aiming to establish the world’s largest hydrogen refueling network by 2030.

  China is the world’s largest hydrogen producer, generating approximately 33 million tons annually, primarily from fossil fuels. Efforts are underway to increase green hydrogen production through renewable energy sources. For instance, Sinopec’s solar-powered green hydrogen facility in Xinjiang aims to produce 20,000 tons annually.

  • Japan’s Hydrogen Infrastructure: Japan has developed a network of hydrogen fueling stations, known as the “hydrogen highway,” to support hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. By 2024, there were at least 157 stations, with additional ones in development. Japan also is working to have commercially viable fuel-cell-powered trains.

  • Green Hydrogen in Southeast Asia: Laos, in partnership with Australia, has developed a National Green Hydrogen and Ammonia Roadmap, focusing on utilizing surplus hydropower during the wet season to produce green hydrogen, aiming to reduce dependence on fossil-fuel imports and boost local industries.

  Scaling of hydrogen fuel-cell passenger cars is still not a hot zone of activity and progress, with FCEV passenger vehicles very much taking a backseat to pushing hydrogen into commercial trucking and mass transit. There is an axiom in hydrogen circles that while fuel cells are a great replacement for diesel, batteries are still a more scalable and cost-efficient replacement for internal-combustion light vehicles.

  “It is an inexhaustible fuel that in the end makes a lot of sense for a lot of applications, and one of the real beauties of hydrogen,” says Forvia’s Abdel-Baset.