Skip to content
  • Tim Bush, 36, of Huntington Beach, is seen in the...

    Tim Bush, 36, of Huntington Beach, is seen in the reflection of his Hyundai ix35 Tucson CUV at the hydrogen fuel pump at the Shell station at on Jamboree Boulevard in Newport Beach. Bush became the first customer to lease a Hyundai ix35 Tucson CUV in the United States.

  • Jack Brouwer fills up a car with hydrogen at a...

    Jack Brouwer fills up a car with hydrogen at a fueling station at UCI's North Campus. Brouwer and his team at UCI are using hydrogen fuel cells to power things from vehicles to computer servers.

  • Vehicles refueled at a compressed natural gas station in Santa...

    Vehicles refueled at a compressed natural gas station in Santa Ana last year. The station is one of hundreds across the country operated by Clean Energy Fuels, a Newport Beach company.

  • Tim Bush of Huntington Beach demonstrates how he fills his...

    Tim Bush of Huntington Beach demonstrates how he fills his Hyundai ix35 Tucson CUV with hydrogen fuel at a Shell station on Jamboree Road in Newport Beach.

  • The nozzle in which hydrogen is pumped into a the...

    The nozzle in which hydrogen is pumped into a the hydrogen powered vehicle.

  • A special nozzle is required to fill the hydrogen-powered Hyundai...

    A special nozzle is required to fill the hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 Tucson CUV.

  • A reading on a vehicle's dashboard shows the driver the...

    A reading on a vehicle's dashboard shows the driver the average miles per kilogram of fuel at different parts of a trip. The car can get mileage up to 90 miles per kilogram.

  • Clean Energy Fuels, a Newport Beach company, operates natural-gas stations...

    Clean Energy Fuels, a Newport Beach company, operates natural-gas stations across the country.

of

Expand
Associate mug of Margot Roosevelt, Business Reporter (Economy). 

Date shot: 12/03/2012 . Photo by KATE LUCAS /  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Silicon Valley is often described as the hub of California’s clean technology economy, but Los Angeles and Orange counties are in the forefront of innovations in advanced transportation, according to a new report.

Researchers for Next 10, a San Francisco-based think tank focused on alternative energy, found that collaboration among Southern California companies, local agencies and universities has spawned a host of new companies and initiatives to launch electric vehicles, build charging infrastructure and invent related software applications.

“The region constitutes California’s largest and fastest-growing Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) market, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electricity, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” according to the 20-page survey of local efforts.

From 2012 through 2013, the number of electric vehicle (EV) registrations in Los Angeles and Orange counties nearly doubled, to 23,000. That represented an above-average, 39 percent share of California’s ZEVs.

The two counties also were host in 2013 to 16,000 natural gas vehicles, which emit fewer pollutants than gasoline- or diesel-fueled vehicles. That represented nearly half the state’s total.

Severe air pollution spurred “progressive state policies stimulating company growth,” the report found. “As a result, the core clean economy has become an important driver of California’s overall economic vitality, employing over 185,000 workers as of January 2014, while protecting the state’s natural resources.”

California has been in the forefront of cleaner vehicle technology since the 1960s. In 2006, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Global Warming Solutions Act, mandating a cut in greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing to get 1.5 million ZEVs on the road by 2025.

The report highlights several Orange County companies and institutions, as well as groundbreaking initiatives at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach:

• In Orange County, EV fast-charging stations are available at four major malls. A Newport Beach company, Clean Energy Fuels, sells compressed and liquefied natural gas to power over 1,000 trucks moving goods at the ports. It also operates natural-gas stations along I-10 from Los Angeles to Texas to Florida.

• Aliso Viejo-based Telogis is an award-winning connected intelligence software company. It works with customers and vehicle manufacturers, including Ford and General Motors, to provide telematics and fleet-management services.

Lake Forest-based Quantum Technologies was awarded a California Energy Commission grant to develop and test natural gas fuel systems with bus, medium-duty and port truck applications.

• The National Fuel Cell Research Center at UC Irvine launched a demonstration site at the Orange County Sanitation District of the world’s first high-temperature Tri-Generation system, using biogas from wastewater treatment to produce electricity, heat, and bio-hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles.

• The Port of Long Beach is partnering with government agencies to test a one-mile overhead “eHighway” system to power short-haul trucks. The all-electric technology will be similar to cable car lines.

Contact the writer: mroosevelt@ocregister.com; on Twitter @MargotRoosevelt