To much of the general public, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles remain a novelty from a distant future. And hydrogen advocates haven’t done a very good job in demonstrating fuel-cell vehicles to those outside of Los Angeles or Sacramento. It might pique the interest of more than a few gearheads to see how quickly fuel-cell vehicles can be refueled and what respectable long-distance capabilities they have compared to EVs.

But with hydrogen stations clustered in the Los Angeles region, longer drives have been difficult to implement. This year, fuel-cell advocates, eight automakers, and their vehicles have taken to the road, with the Hydrogen Road Tour, which TheCarConnection.com caught up to in Portland. Going from Chula Vista, California, to Vancouver, British Columbia, the tour has plenty of hands-on stops along the way, and the general public is invited to most events. Making it all possible is a mobile refueling truck provided by PowerTech Labs, a company out of Surrey, BC.