Sociotechnical Challenges in the Implementation of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucking

As automobile and semi-truck manufacturers wheel out new hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV), new infrastructure to refuel and repair these vehicles must be developed. In this paper, the authors examine the sociotechnical hurdles to developing the infrastructure needed to refuel or recharge these vehicles in the state of Alabama and throughout the Southeast of the United States. Currently, no infrastructure exists in the state to support the use of HFCV trucks. However, given the presence of Interstates 10 and 65 which connect northern cities like Chicago and Indianapolis with shipping ports like New Orleans and Mobile, regional infrastructure will be required to support these new trucks. In this paper, the authors break down the sociotechnical issues using a multiple domain matrix to examine the social, technical, and sociotechnical challenges to implementing the infrastructure needed for hydrogen semi-trucks