Shell station will start offering hydrogen

More and more automakers reveal hydrogen powered cars, so its normal for gas station to offer the proper fuel. Shell is preparing to open a fueling station in west Los Angeles later this month that will dispense gasoline or, for the right car, hydrogen. Santa Monica Boulevard station will be followed by a few more in the coming months.

The Los Angeles station will use an electrolyzer to manufacture hydrogen from electricity on site. The Los Angeles station was part of a U.S. Department of Energy hydrogen research program with Shell and General Motors. But Shell will build a few more stations in Los Angeles area on its own in coming months, Macleod said.

In his talk, Macleod argued that fuel cell vehicles will be mass-produced by 2020. To make that happen, "mini networks" of hydrogen filling stations in densely populated cities need to take root now.

Macleod said that fuel cell vehicles are at a pivotal point in development: With the proper government incentives and technology investments now, hydrogen can be produced in cleaner ways.