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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AWARDS CALIFORNIA
HYDROGEN-BASED TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT TO
COMPREHENSIVE TEAM
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. (April 27, 2004) - A project
team led by Air Products (NYSE:APD) including automakers,
an energy company, two California universities, and a public
agency will work together to further demonstrate and validate
advancements in hydrogen-based transportation infrastructure.
This ambitious five-year program will be funded in part
by a grant announced today by the United States Department
of Energy (DOE), as part of its national Controlled Hydrogen
Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project.
The project team had submitted a request for a $91 million
program.
The hydrogen infrastructure project team to work on this
endeavor includes Air Products and automakers Toyota Motor
Sales USA, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Nissan North
America Inc., BMW, energy company ConocoPhillips, the National
Fuel Cell Research Center at the University of California
at Irvine, the University of California at Davis, and the
California South Coast Air Quality Management District.
“DOE should be applauded for initiating this far-reaching
developmental project to sustain the world’s energy
supply,” said Chris Sutton, vice president and general
manager of Energy Industries at Air Products. “This
is the first significant funding at the national level since
President Bush’s stated goal of supporting establishment
of a hydrogen economy. On behalf of the entire project team,
we are all excited about this opportunity to take a leadership
role in the continuing development and commercialization
of the global hydrogen economy. This is a step toward the
goal of having key entities work together to solve important
and critical issues and direct resources to gain real-world
experience on fueling stations and feedback on vehicle infrastructure
and hydrogen delivery technologies.”
Working together, the project team plans to make substantial
commitments to establish and demonstrate hydrogen infrastructure
in California. Over the five-year program, up to 24 fueling
station locations using multiple approaches to producing
hydrogen and providing fueling infrastructure could be developed.
These include a fueling station located on a pipeline, relocatable
stations placed at existing retail gasoline stations including
ConocoPhillips sites, as well as municipal locations. These
fueling stations will be supported by hydrogen produced
from both natural gas and renewable energy sources. Some
of these stations will also have dual dispensing capability
of gaseous and liquid hydrogen.
Toyota, Honda and Nissan plan to assign, collectively,
up to 65 fuel cell vehicles to this project, and BMW plans
to assign up to 15 hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine
vehicles. The vehicles are to be driven by a broad range
of drivers and interested parties including technical experts,
policy makers, vehicle customers and fleet operators. The
team’s automakers are seeking no money or reimbursement
for providing their vehicles to the program. Vehicle production
and maintenance is included in the cost-sharing portion
of the award total. The project team requested DOE funding
of approximately $35 million of the overall award for hydrogen
infrastructure activities and a public outreach program.
Team members each commented on the DOE award announcement:
Toyota –
“A true hydrogen economy is a long way off,” said
Jim Press, executive vice president and COO of Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “However, this project can help
us address some of the many challenges we face in bringing
hydrogen-based transportation closer to reality. At Toyota,
we recognize that significant scientific breakthroughs are
necessary. We’ve long believed that the transition
to a cleaner, more sustainable hydrogen economy can only
be achieved if business, government and education join forces
and work as a team.”
Honda –
“We look forward to working with our industry partners
in this important program to further the development of
fuel cell and hydrogen refueling technology,” said
Gunnar Lindstrom, senior manager of Alternative Fuel Programs
for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The Department
of Energy is to be commended for bringing together industry
and government to work on the common issues of air pollution
and energy sustainability.”
Nissan –
“Nissan’s dedication to real improvement in the
environment is deeply connected to its clean technologies
such as fuel cell vehicles,” said Jim Morton, senior
vice president, Administration & Finance at Nissan.
“Fuel cells hold the promise of high efficiency while
creating zero emissions, making them the potential clean
power source of the future. Furthermore, fuel source diversity
to create hydrogen improves society’s energy security.
We believe this experimental project is an important exploratory
step for the future development of this country’s hydrogen
infrastructure. We look forward to the mutual gains that
the partners in this endeavor shall accomplish in the coming
years.”
BMW –
“The BMW Group has been engaged in the research and
development of liquid hydrogen technology for over 20 years
based on the belief that automobiles in the future will
not be powered by fossil fuels as they are today,”
noted Karl-Heinz Ziwica, vice-president – Engineering
U.S. for BMW of North America. “Our research has demonstrated
that hydrogen is completely viable as a fuel and the technology
exists to advance its use in vehicles with internal combustion
engines or with fuel cells. However, the more challenging
step to the realization of hydrogen-powered vehicles is
the development of a supporting infrastructure of fueling
stations and service facilities. This requires the cooperation
of a significant group of partners and BMW is honored to
be a part of the group brought together by the DOE.”
ConocoPhillips –
“ConocoPhillips welcomes the opportunity to help evaluate
hydrogen’s potential as an energy carrier for automotive
applications,” said Ann Oglesby, manager of Emerging
Technology at ConocoPhillips. “Many technology and
economic hurdles remain, but this project will help us better
understand hydrogen as one option for powering future cars
and trucks.”
Air Products (NYSE:APD) serves customers in technology,
energy, healthcare and industrial markets worldwide with
a unique portfolio of products, services and solutions,
providing atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases,
performance materials and chemical intermediates. Founded
in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key
growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery
hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction,
and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized
for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment
to safety and the environment. With annual revenues of $6.3
billion and operations in over 30 countries, the company’s
18,500 employees build lasting relationships with their
customers and communities based on understanding, integrity
and passion. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements.
Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in
current expectations.
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