Cruise hopes to generate electricity at a charging site with a hydrogen trailer like this. The site, notably, is only 215 feet from the Big City Montessori school. Photo montage by Will Jarrett
She was not aware, however, that Cruise is hoping to generate the electricity to power its charging station by placing a 97,359 cubic foot hydrogen tank at 241 Loomis. Cruise noted this onCruise is calling this proposal — which is still very much in the pre-application stage — “a temporary hydrogen refueling station.” But the word “temporary” is doing a bit of work. Within its submitted materials, the company notes that thefacility would be used for two to eight years.
“How much fuel is being transported through the City and what route is being used, time of day and number of times per week? … What safety guidelines are in place for 1. Leaks, Fires, vehicle protection, explosion’s? ” were among the questions posed by Harold, the assistant fire marshal, in a June 2022 email to colleagues at the planning, health and building inspection departments.
Rosen said it would be challenging to construct adequate blast protection for a trailer being replaced on a daily or near-daily basis. The scene at 241 Loomis in the present day. Photo by Joe Eskenazi Cruise also claimed that installing a hydrogen-powered electrical charging station and swapping out the hydrogen trailer on a near-daily basis would require “no new building permits” as “the project only involves temporary components .”