How many quick charge (under 10 minutes) facilities will be installed?

EV makers, utilities and other corporations could work together to help make this happen. If you look at Tesla superchargers in California, they are out on the highways for trips.

It's irrelevant, Harvey. It's not 1999 anymore.

H2 FCVs will have to compete in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019...

Right now today in the era of 420 mile PHEVs (with heater and defroster running full blast). Within one year in the era of 200 mile $35k EVs.

If FCVs compete effectively, they will have a place on the roads. If they don't, they'll be interesting museum pieces.

Yes, I am looking at the history of the H2 industry and it is none too inspiring.

Dozens of H2 stations rolled out ten years ago in California, only to be shuttered a few years later. CEC pulling funding from grantees because of lack of performance on their contracts.

I believe First Element is trying to do a good job, but let's hear first hand from the CEO Joel Ewanick from his twitter feed:

"Hydrogen Stations, "finally" opening, it's harder 2 build than it looks! 6 Open and 6 more in a few weeks "

It's difficult. That is the unfortunate reality.

LA Times article from a few months ago:
"Fuel cell cars and filling stations are slow to arrive"

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fuel-cell-20151121-story.html

"We might have 50 or 60 stations, and still be under 500 cars — in all of California!" said independent hydrogen fuel station builder Dan Poppe, who said he is filling 11 to 13 cars a day. "How can a station operator make it, or attract investors, if the cars aren't going to be here?"

"Those who worry that the slow arrival of stations implies a lack of U.S. enthusiasm for the technology are urged to look to Japan. Toyota's Scott said there were to have been 80 filling stations built in Japan by now, according to earlier predictions. There are only 20."

"This is a huge shift, a paradigm shift," Scott said. "It's going to take a lot of time, and effort."

SJC> EVs and FCVs can coexist ... market will decide

Yes, that is the point I've made, so we agree about that. The issue is economic viability. How does a station stay in business if it's only earning a fraction of what it will take to service its financing cost?

The numbers are very tough for the H2 station operators. About ten cars per station in the first few years. Estimate 5kg H2 dispensed per car per week. At $13.50/kg retail, probably not much more than 50% margin. Even if it were $10/kg margin, that's still only $2,000 / month top line income, $24k / year on a $4,000,000 investment. Does not even come close to covering the finance costs which are probably a few hundred thousand at commercial rates (shorter term, higher interest).

SJC> Interesting prediction "only to be shuttered..."

That wasn't a prediction. That was an observation about a historical fact. Ten years ago, CEC pulled the funding from H2 station operators because they failed to perform on their grant. There were a couple dozen stations built. Free money from the state and they couldn't even keep them open. It was a scandal at the time.

History can be used to imply the future.

I looked up the supposed hydrogen station closings, could not find them. The CEC withdrew grant funding in 2012, which stopped the building of some, but they funded $50 million in 2014 to build more.

As for the number of stations in the future, that is a straw man. The ratio of cars to gas pump is about 200 to 1. If that ratio is maintained for hydrogen we might need 100 to service 20,000 FCVs, which is the target for the CEC.

Have you ever been to any H2 station in California, SJC? Why not post the full quote from Kevin Kantola's blog:

"This station had the cheapest prices for fuel of the four that I reviewed."

First Element at Harris Ranch is $16.50 kg.

Diamond Bar is $13.50 kg. Most others are very close to that.

SJC> I looked up the supposed hydrogen station closings, could not find them.

So you did a poor job of researching and would like me to do it for you. Nope.
I've already posted twice as many hydrogen pump prices as you did, with locations and qualifications, which you omitted.

I think readers can draw their own conclusions from the quality of our respective posts.

Transition from dirty ICEVs to cleaner BEVs and FCEVs will be costly, specially in the first decade or so (2010 to 2020 for BEVs and 2015 to 2025 for FCEVs).

Mass production, technical advancements and breakthroughs, increased competition and the true cost of added GHG and pollution by ICEVs will make both technologies (BEVs + FCEVs) very competitive around/after 2025.

After 2025 many BEVs and FCEVs will be cheaper to buy and operate then equivalent ICEVs when 10+ years and 240,000+ Km of normal use are duly considered.

Our area (grid) has a surplus of clean hydro + wind for up to 2027 and more. Our neighboring States and Provinces are currently buying our clean energy (for under $0.05/kWh) at the rate of a bit over $1B/year but it is not enough. Exports would have to be doubled.

Alternatively, the surplus could energise a few hundred large clean H2 stations and as many quick charge e-stations for 2 to 5 million FCEVs and BEVs respectively.

If/when many more H2/e-charging stations are built, more hydro + wind could be developed to satisfy added demands. H2 massive storage is another way to temporary reduce our surpluses, specially if some of the stored H2 is used to produce clean energy to meet peak demands.