Fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) owners aren't worried about high gas prices, but they're experiencing their own headache. Many of them are finding empty hydrogen tanks when they go to fill up.

A Chevron station in Studio City is one of the few places across Los Angeles that offers hydrogen fuel.

People like Christina Martinez from downtown L.A. drove 13 miles just to fill up her tank, and she wasn't the only one going the distance.

Robert Cassidy from Woodland Hills was among the people who waited in line early Friday morning for several hours.

"I would say it's been over three hours that we've been waiting. When we got here, there were like 20 cars in front of us, and they were just moving slowly," he told Eyewitness News.

The slowdown dates back to earlier this year when the supply disruption began.

According to Fuel Cell Works, more than 60% of California's hydrogen refueling stations are offline.

"It's like a vehicle you pay for that you can't use," said driver Elana Lee. "I've been stranded a lot... like on the freeway."

The issue is causing more consumer demand on a system that auto experts say was already strained.

"The fuel providers are beginning to see maybe it isn't worth my investment," said expert Brian Moody. "The tanks, the lines, the transportation-all of those things are a part of the cost of hydrogen."

More in U.S.

Ex-Congressman Eric Swalwell Reportedly Charged More Than 100 Alcohol Deliveries to His Campaign Fund

Globe

1.7K

Charlie Kirk assasination bombshell takes another turn as new information is revealed

PennLive.com

2.3K

Trump Is Getting an Airport Named After Him. A Pilot Says That's a Problem for Pilots, Not Politicians

Guessing Headlights

2.1K

日本で知っておきたいプレハブ住宅の特徴プレハブ住宅 | Search Ads ·

AdAd

"I think it is a valid fuel source, but I think we have to rethink whether or not this is for the average consumer or maybe is something we need to invest in more so that more people can have access to it," Moody added.

One incident that added to the supply disruption was the deadly hydrogen truck explosion in Colton back in February, according to CleanTechnica. A man was killed, and another person was injured in that incident.

Delivery operations tied to the incident were paused during the investigation, which is still under review.

Hydrogen deliveries to stations are coming back online, but consumers may have to be patient.

While the supply chain disruption lingers, impacted drivers are encouraged to plan ahead. They can check their hydrogen station app to find a site offering the fuel.

Early Tuesday morning, commuters heading northbound on Interstate 280 in Daly City got a rude awakening when an electric vehicle burst into flames and transformed a stretch of highway into something that looked more like a Fourth of July finale than a traffic incident. The blaze shut down northbound lanes for hours, creating significant delays during a time when Bay Area drivers can least afford them.

North County Fire Authority crews were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. after reports came in of a smoking vehicle on the roadway. What they found when they arrived was something most firefighters have rarely trained for: a high-voltage electric vehicle battery fully engulfed, shooting flames and debris in all directions. Captain Jeff Higgins described the scene as looking like a fireworks show, and not the fun kind you watch from a lawn chair.

The driver of the vehicle managed to get out safely before the situation escalated, and was reported to be doing OK. That was arguably the best news of the morning, because from that point forward, there was little firefighters could do except keep a safe distance and make sure the fire did not spread to surrounding areas. Water, the tool firefighters have relied on for centuries, was simply not going to work here.

By 9:15 a.m., two of the northbound lanes at Hickey Boulevard had been reopened, and the southbound side, which had also been closed temporarily, was back to normal operations. The cause of the fire remains under active investigation, leaving a lot of questions about exactly what triggered the dramatic event.

What Is Thermal Runaway and Why Can Water Make It Worse

The phrase that kept coming up Tuesday morning was one that most people outside of the EV industry have probably never heard before: thermal runaway. Captain Higgins confirmed that the vehicle entered this state, and it fundamentally changed how crews had to respond.

Thermal runaway is a chain reaction that occurs inside a lithium-ion battery pack when heat causes cells to break down, releasing more heat, which causes more cells to break down, and so on. Once the process starts, it is extremely difficult to stop. The battery essentially feeds itself, generating intense heat and sometimes releasing toxic gases and flammable materials in the process.

Traditional firefighting with water is largely ineffective against a lithium-ion battery fire in full thermal runaway. In some cases, applying water can actually agitate the situation by causing rapid steam generation or spreading burning battery material. The standard approach recommended by fire authorities is often to use massive quantities of water to cool surrounding structures and let the battery burn itself out in a controlled manner, which is precisely what crews did Tuesday.

How First Responders Handled a Fire They Could Not Extinguish

When North County Fire Authority units pulled up to the scene just after 5:30 a.m., they were greeted by what Captain Higgins called a ball of flame. The vehicle was fully involved, and material was being ejected from it in multiple directions. It was a dramatic and dangerous scene, and the crew had to make a rapid decision about how to respond safely and effectively.

That decision was to back off and set up a defensive perimeter. Crews focused on protecting surrounding areas from the spread of fire rather than attempting a direct attack on the burning vehicle. This is an increasingly common approach for EV battery fires and represents a significant departure from how structure and vehicle fires have historically been fought.

The strategy worked. The fire was contained to the vehicle and did not spread, but it also meant highway crews and CHP had to close the northbound lanes entirely while the battery burned through its stored energy. That process took several hours, which is not unusual for a large EV battery pack.

What This Incident Teaches Us About EV Safety and Emergency Response

Incidents like the one on I-280 Tuesday morning are becoming more frequent as electric vehicles make up a growing share of California's roads. The state has been at the forefront of EV adoption nationally, which means California's first responders are also on the front lines of figuring out how to handle these situations safely and efficiently.

One of the clearest lessons is that traditional firefighting playbooks do not always apply. Fire departments across the country have been updating their training to account for the unique challenges posed by high-voltage battery systems. Some departments have invested in specialized foam, thermal blankets designed to contain battery fires, and additional protective gear for responders who may be exposed to toxic gas releases during EV incidents.

For drivers, this incident is a reminder to pay attention to any unusual behavior from an EV, including warning lights related to battery temperature, strange smells, or visible smoke. Experts recommend pulling over immediately and getting away from the vehicle if any of these signs appear, as the window between early warning and full thermal runaway can be very short.

The good news from Tuesday is that the driver got out. That outcome, more than anything else, is the metric that matters most in these situations. The car can be replaced. The person cannot.

The Investigation Ahead and What Authorities Will Be Looking For

With the fire now out and the lanes back open, investigators will turn their attention to figuring out what actually started the battery fire in the first place. Lithium-ion battery fires in EVs can be triggered by a number of factors, including manufacturing defects, damage from a collision or road debris, problems with the battery management system, and in some cases, issues related to charging.

The investigation may take some time, particularly because battery packs are often severely damaged in these events and can be difficult to analyze afterward. Vehicle identification and data from the car's onboard systems, if recoverable, will likely play a role in determining what happened.

As EV adoption continues to climb in California and across the country, incidents like this one will inevitably become part of a broader data set that informs how manufacturers design battery systems, how regulators approach safety standards, and how fire departments train their crews. Tuesday morning on I-280 was disruptive and alarming, but it also added another chapter to an ongoing and important conversation about what it really means to safely share the road with the next generation of vehicles.

If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

One fire at one plant managed to shake up the entire pickup truck market. Here is what happened, where things stand right now, and what it means for anyone looking to buy America's best-selling vehicle.

If you have been shopping for a Ford F-150 lately and noticed the lots looking a little empty, you are not imagining things. What started as a factory fire last September has snowballed into one of the most disruptive supply chain events the truck market has seen outside of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dealers who normally stock dozens of F-150s are working with single digits, and buyers who expected a smooth purchase are finding longer waits and higher prices than they bargained for.

The root of the problem is a fire at a Novelis aluminum plant in New York, which supplies the lightweight aluminum used in the bodies of Ford's trucks and SUVs. That blaze broke out on September 16, 2024, and before the plant could fully recover, a second fire hit in November, essentially resetting the clock on any progress Ford had made. Two fires, one plant, and suddenly the supply chain behind the most profitable vehicle in America was in serious trouble.

The numbers tell a stark story. F-150 inventory across the U.S. has fallen 43 percent since that first fire, according to data firm CatalystIQ. Days of supply have dropped from 107 in September to around 57 by mid-April, and Ford's share of the full-size pickup segment slipped from 37 percent to 32 percent year over year in the first quarter. That is a significant retreat for a vehicle that has held the title of best-selling truck in America for decades running.

Ford has acknowledged the disruption is going to cost the company roughly $2 billion, with a more complete picture expected when the company reports first-quarter financial results on April 29. The automaker has been clear that recovery will be uneven, with most of the volume rebound expected in the second half of 2025.

Why This Shortage Hits Harder Than Most

Not all vehicle shortages are created equal. The F-150 is not just a popular truck; it is the financial engine that drives Ford's entire business (and even the Lightning did well before it was discontinued). The F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle line in the United States for 49 consecutive years. When that pipeline slows down, the ripple effects are felt far beyond the showroom floor.

Historically, Ford has maintained a commanding inventory lead over its competitors in the truck segment. That lead allowed the company to price the F-150 more competitively, giving buyers more options and giving dealers more flexibility in negotiations. With supply tightening, that advantage has largely disappeared. CatalystIQ's data shows Ford's inventory share dropped from 37.2 percent to 28.2 percent in just seven months. That is not a minor fluctuation; that is a structural shift in the competitive landscape, at least for now.

Dealers in the Midwest and South, which are historically among the strongest pickup markets in the country, are feeling the pinch most acutely. In Omaha, Nebraska, F-150 supply has fallen 63 percent, and the advertised price on an entry-level XL trim in that region has climbed roughly $5,000, or about 10 percent, since the fires. Similar patterns are playing out in markets like Odessa-Midland in Texas, Mobile, Alabama, and Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina.

What Ford Is Actually Doing About It

To Ford's credit, the company has not been sitting still. The automaker has rolled out a multi-pronged response aimed at getting more trucks to dealerships as quickly as possible. Ford plans to add roughly 50,000 F-Series vehicles to production this year to offset the lost output, and it is skipping the traditional summer shutdown at four plants that build various versions of the truck.

Earlier this year, Ford also sped up the production line at its Kentucky Truck Plant, which handles the Super Duty, Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator. In February, the company added a third shift at the Dearborn Truck Plant, one of two facilities that build the standard F-150. These are meaningful moves, but they take time to work their way through the system.

There is also a cost beyond just lost sales. Because Ford has had to source aluminum from overseas suppliers to keep production going, the company is absorbing unexpected tariff costs. Reports indicate Ford was among several automakers that sought relief from aluminum tariffs under the current trade environment, though those requests did not result in an exemption.

Dealers have been told by Ford executives that April represents the low point, with supply expected to begin recovering in May and largely normalize by late July or early August.

What We Can Learn From the F-150 Supply Crisis

The F-150 situation is a textbook case study in single-source supply chain risk, and it is the kind of lesson that applies well beyond the auto industry. When one supplier provides a critical, highly specialized material with no easy substitute, a single incident can bring operations to a halt for months. Ford is not unique in this vulnerability; it is just unusually visible because of how important the F-150 is to the overall market.

More in Business

YouTuber Buys $2,000 Wrecked Tesla, Turns It Into a Go-Kart, Then Tesla Kills the Fun

MotorBiscuit

736

Tenant Is 'Shaking With Rage' After Landlord Started Charging $20 For Any Guest Staying Past 10 P.M. To Cover 'Additional Wear And Tear'

Benzinga

270

Tesla Says It Sold Those Cybertrucks. But Nearly One in Five Went to ... Elon Musk's Other Companies

Guessing Headlights

217

Wall St. Legend: Another Market Crash Is Coming—Here’s WhenInvestment Genius ·

AdAd

For automakers, this incident will likely accelerate conversations about supplier diversification, particularly for materials that are difficult to source quickly and that have no domestic alternatives readily available. The aluminum used in the F-150's body is not a commodity you can simply order from somewhere else overnight. Building redundancy into that kind of supply chain is expensive, but as Ford is now demonstrating, not building it in can be far more costly.

For consumers, the broader takeaway is simple: the vehicles that seem like permanent fixtures on dealer lots are more vulnerable than they appear. If you are in the market for a high-demand vehicle, flexibility and patience are worth more than ever.

Will the F-150 Bounce Back?

The short answer is almost certainly yes. The F-150 has too much brand loyalty, too much market inertia, and too much product strength for one supply disruption to derail it permanently. Truck buyers tend to be fiercely loyal, and most customers have been willing to wait out the shortage rather than switch brands, according to dealers.

The more interesting question is whether Ford can fully recapture the supply and pricing advantage it held before the fires. Competitors like Ram and Chevrolet have had months to court F-150 shoppers with attractive deals, and some of those buyers will stick around even after Ford's lots refill. CatalystIQ analysts noted that there has been significant churn in the segment during this period, which means Ford will have some work to do on the back end to win back customers who tried something new.

For now, the market is watching April's numbers closely. If Ford's prediction holds and supply starts moving in the right direction this spring, Truck Month next year could look very different.

If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

Hundreds of commercial tankers are stranded on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shut the critical chokepoint on April 18, halting traffic and leaving crews trapped amid reports of gunfire and "traumatic experiences" on board.

The Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway under international law, through which ships have the right of transit passage, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Iranian gunboats opened fire on a tanker the same day, while a projectile struck a container vessel, damaging cargo.

Starmer And Macron Accused Of ‘Playing At Being Relevant’ With Strait Of Hormuz Plan

Audio released by maritime monitoring group TankerTrackers appears to capture the moment a vessel and its crew came under fire while approaching the strait, including a distress call from a crew member.

Read On The Fox News App

"Sepah Navy! Motor tanker Sanmar Herald! You gave me clearance to go… you are firing now. Let me turn back!" the crew member can be heard saying in the recording, according to TankerTrackers.

Iranian state media confirmed that shots were fired near vessels to force them to turn back, while the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India said the foreign secretary was deeply concerned.

Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping line, told Fox News Digital that it had activated a crisis team as its crews remain stuck on board vessels in the region.

"We have been working from Friday afternoon until today with the entire crisis team to bring the vessels out — in vain, unfortunately," said Nils Haupt, senior director of group communications at Hapag-Lloyd AG.

"These events can easily lead to traumatic experiences. There is also a significant risk from sea mines, which has made insuring vessels for passage through the Strait nearly impossible."

Lisa Daftari: Hormuz Whiplash Proves Tehran Can't Honor Any Deal It Signs

"The crews are well, but they are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated. It is very unfortunate that we could not leave today," he added. "Many ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf."

"Our six ships are anchored near the port of Dubai, and all crews hope for an improvement in the situation," Haupt said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 18 that the strait would remain closed until the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, warning ships not to move from anchorage or risk being treated as "enemy" collaborators.

Iran has previously argued that restrictions on its oil exports and shipping amount to "economic warfare," framing actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to foreign pressure on its economy, according to statements from Iranian officials and state media in past incidents.

"Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any violating vessel will be targeted," the IRGC said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

Trump Orders A Blockade In The Strait Of Hormuz As Tensions With Iran Soar

The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait, with U.S. Central Command saying the measures are being enforced "impartially against all vessels."

Hapag-Lloyd said its vessels have been stuck for weeks following the initial closure after the outbreak of war with Iran on Feb. 28.

"For us, it is critical that our vessels can pass through the strait soon," Haupt said.

"We offer all crew members unlimited data so they can video call loved ones and access entertainment. Crews are strong, but after weeks on board there is growing monotony and frustration."

"One crew experienced a fire on board from bomb fragments. Others have seen missiles or drones near their vessels," he added.

Click Here To Download The Fox News App

"They are resilient, but each additional day makes the situation more difficult, more monotonous, and more stressful."

President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed not to close the strait again but after the closure, Trump called the situation "blackmail" and said the U.S. would not back down.

Original article source: Distress call captures tanker under fire, Iran shuts Hormuz trapping thousands of sailors