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Our History

The Canadian sector is a global leader as a result of pioneering technologies, world-renown expertise, and a 100-year history of partnerships between industry, academia and Canadian governments.

The CHFCA has played a key part in this leadership since our formation in January 2009 following the merger between the Canadian Hydrogen Association (CHA) and Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Canada (H2FCC).

The merger unified all of the members of the former groups to create a vibrant, influential association to serve as the collective voice of the sector and a trusted advisor to government, industry and academia.

With over 160 members today, the CHFCA now represents the majority of key stakeholders in Canada’s hydrogen and fuel cell sector.

Founded during hydrogen’s re-emergence as an energy carrier in the 1970’s, the Canadian Hydrogen Association (CHA) was a non-profit corporation that promoted the production, transportation, storage, and application of hydrogen and encouraged the development of hydrogen energy systems and markets to improve the environment.  Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Canada (H2FCC) was established in 2000 to advance the development and commercialization of world leading hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, products and services, largely clustered in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

Milestones

The following timeline highlights the significant accomplishments for Canada’s hydrogen and fuel cell sector to date.

2022: Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy unveiled by Ontario

On April 7, 2022, the Ontario government released its Low-Carbon Hydrogen Strategy to accelerate the development of the low-carbon hydrogen economy in the province to create jobs, attract investment and reduce emissions.  The strategy leverages the province’s strengths, including a highly skilled workforce, clean and affordable electricity, existing storage and pipeline infrastructure, and an innovative industrial sector that is poised to collaborate on hydrogen. Aimed to establish Ontario as the clean manufacturing and transportation hub of the future, the Strategy includes a number of proposed actions to enable hydrogen production and expand the burgeoning low-carbon hydrogen economy, including launching innovative projects, identifying hydrogen hubs and proposing related changes to regulatory frameworks and policies.

2021: Alberta releases Hydrogen Roadmap

On November 5, 2021, the Government of Alberta released its Hydrogen Roadmap which presents the government’s policy framework for encouraging a domestic market for clean hydrogen and capitalizing on an anticipated multi-billion dollar global hydrogen economy.  The roadmap aims to secure over $30-billion in capital investments and establish Alberta as a global supplier-of-choice in clean hydrogen exports by 2030. If successful, it would also result in widespread deployment of clean hydrogen into provincial utilities, transportation and industrial processes in that same time period, reducing GHG emissions by an estimated 14 megatonnes per year.

2020: Hydrogen Strategy for Canada is launched

On December 18, 2020, the Canadian government launched the Hydrogen Strategy to spur investment and partnerships to establish Canada as a global supplier of hydrogen and to increase domestic production. Recognizing the role of low-carbon and zero-emission hydrogen fuel technology as a key part of the nation’s path to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the strategy is underpinned by a federal investment of $1.5 billion CAD in a Low-carbon and Zero-emissions Fuels Fund to increase the production and use of low-carbon fuels, including hydrogen.

2015: Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure Program is Launched in BC

Launched in March 2015, the Clean BC Go Electric Hydrogen Station and Fleet Program (formerly the CEV Hydrogen Fueling and Fleet Program) aims to expand the hydrogen fueling network in British Columbia and support the adoption of FCEVs for commercial and municipal fleets. There are currently four public hydrogen fueling stations operating in the province with another two stations in development. The program is managed by the CHFCA on behalf of the Government of British Columbia.

2011: Clean Energy Vehicle Program is introduced in British Columbia

The BC Government unveiled the CEV Program in December 2011 as a catalyst for establishing CEVs such as fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) in the B.C. market and building a foundation for significantly reducing GHG emissions in the personal vehicle sector. The program provides purchase incentives for British Columbians who choose a qualifying electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, as well as support investments in charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructures, as well as investments in research, training and outreach. This program is intended to encourage and accelerate the adoption of clean energy vehicles in British Columbia for both their environment and economic benefits. The program’s vision is to stimulate the market such that by 2020, 5% of new light duty vehicle purchases in British Columbia are clean energy vehicles.

2009: Largest fuel cell electric transit bus fleet unveiled for 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver

In 2009, BC Transit unveiled its fleet of 20 fuel cell electric transit buses (FCEBs) which would operate during the 2010 Winter Olympic games, being hosted in Vancouver and Whistler. New Flyer was the prime contractor and supplier of the bus chassis while ISE purchased Ballard fuel cells and completed integration engineering for the drive system, as well as design and engineering of energy storage, the fuel cell cooling system, controls and software.  The fleet demonstrated FCEBs’s acceleration, range, noise reduction, temperature – were comparable to or exceeded conventional diesel buses.

2009: The Merger between the CHA and H2FCC to form the CHFCA

In January 2009, the Canadian Hydrogen Association (CHA) and Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Canada (H2FCC) announced that they would be unifying their members to form the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (CHFCA). The new association was to be headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and led by John Tak and Terry Kimmel as inaugural President and CEO and Vice-President respectively.

1983: Canada Initiates Development of PEM Fuel Cell Technology

In 1983, Canada’s Department of National Defense awarded Ballard Power Systems a contract to produce a low-cost PEM fuel cell. The integration of new flow-field designs and membranes enabled world-leading performance to a single PEM fuel cell, leading developers to believe that PEM fuel cells could one day power a car.

1913: A.T. Stuart develops the “Stuart Cell”

In 1913, Alexander Thomas Stuart, Canada’s pioneer in hydrogen and hydrogen energy technology, developed the “Stuart Cell” which would become one of the world’s leading electrolysis systems for over a century. Stuart would go on to design and build a number of electrolysis  in the 1920s before receiving his first patent in 1927.