Report: Expanding Hydrogen Use Could Save 300 Lives, Generate $3 Billion in Corresponding Health Savings Annually
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2026
CONTACT: Noah Sasaki
noah@cobaltpublicaffairs.com
Expanding hydrogen fuel use in Southern California could save 300 lives and generate $3 billion in corresponding health savings annually, according to a benchmark study released today by the California Hydrogen Business Council.
The study, conducted by researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, focuses on the South Coast Air Basin, a region that suffers from some of the nation’s worst air pollution and is home to more than 17 million people across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
“This study provides some of the clearest data yet showing how replacing fossil fuel-powered vehicles with hydrogen can cut pollution and save lives,” said Katrina Fritz, president and CEO of the California Hydrogen Business Council. “Expanded hydrogen deployment would mean cleaner air and fewer deaths for Southern California communities facing some of the nation’s worst air pollution. If California hopes to meet its climate goals, greater hydrogen deployment will be essential.”
Researchers used the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Scoping Plan, the state’s blueprint for achieving its climate goals, to model how hydrogen deployment would impact Southern California in 2045. They found:
- Hydrogen deployment would reduce traffic-related fine particle pollution levels in the South Coast Air Basin by nearly 20%.
- Use in heavy-duty trucks, including freight and semi-trucks, would represent roughly $2.1 billion of the total corresponding annual health savings.
- Medium-duty trucks, such as delivery and box trucks, would represent about 15.5% of the pollution reductions.
- Drayage trucks—the vehicles serving our busy ports, rail yards to distribution centers—represent an additional 8.5% pollution reduction.
- The communities hit hardest by pollution would gain the greatest benefit from hydrogen deployment, with the most disadvantaged communities, such as those located near freight corridors, ports and industrial areas, representing $3.1 billion of corresponding annual health savings.
“This study closes a critical knowledge gap by explicitly quantifying the impacts of adopting hydrogen fuel technology,” said Ling Jin, lead researcher for this report and a research affiliate at UC Berkeley specializing in energy and environmental policy. “With this research, policymakers and regulators should be confident in prioritizing hydrogen deployment to improve air quality and protect public health in the state.”
By 2045, California aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 15% of 1990 levels. Hydrogen is expected to play a critical role in that transition, with CARB’s Scoping Plan projecting a 1,700-fold increase in renewable hydrogen production, much of it tied to the transportation sector.
“Hydrogen power presents a prudent opportunity for California to chart a clean transportation future, deliver significant health benefits, and build enduring climate resilience,” said Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy. “These new health findings show how cleaner air means fewer lives lost. As Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I will continue to seek clean energy solutions to address California’s pressing transportation and health challenges.”
“Southern California communities living near freight corridors, ports and warehouses have paid an immense price for dirty air for far too long,” said Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy. “This study shows that if we are serious about protecting public health, we have to move the clean energy transition from promise to practice. That means putting real zero-emission technology on the road, especially in the heavy-duty trucks that drive pollution in working-class communities.”
While the benefits of clean energy transitions are well established, the specific contribution of hydrogen has been less clearly defined. The study helps close that gap by quantifying the air quality and public health impacts of hydrogen use in on-road transportation, offering a clear, data-driven snapshot of the gains California can achieve.
About the California Hydrogen Business Council
The California Hydrogen Business Council is a membership-based trade association representing more than 90 companies, agencies and individuals across California’s hydrogen and fuel cell industry. As the largest and longest-established hydrogen advocate in Sacramento, CHBC works to inform policymakers and advance policies that support hydrogen’s role in meeting California’s climate, air quality, energy and transportation goals. Learn more at: californiahydrogen.org.