File photo: Ryan Burns.

Mass transit along California’s North Coast is difficult. The long distances between rural communities are trouble for ordinary battery-powered electric buses, which don’t have the range to make there-and-back trips. Hydrogen buses, however, are able to make the long journey. And thanks to a $38.7 million grant, Humboldt Transit Authority is purchasing 11 state-of-the-art buses and building a hydrogen fueling station.

Guests Peter Lehman of the Schatz Energy Research Center and Jerome Qiriazi join the show to discuss Humboldt’s forthcoming fleet of hydrogen buses.