Hydrogen Road Tour Whets Schwarzenegger's Appetite for Fuel Cell Cars

"California set out to prove to the nation and world that low-carbon fuels and vehicles on our roads and highways are safe, affordable and viable,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. "This tour showcases what I envisioned five years ago when I launched the Hydrogen Highway."

"Our goal of a cleaner, greener and healthier California will require revolutionary new vehicle technologies and low-carbon fuels that will also spur the clean-tech economy," he said.

Surrounded by media, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger views hydrogen cars in West Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)

Organized by the California Air Resources Board, California Fuel Cell Partnership, National Hydrogen Association and U.S. Fuel Cell Council, the annual road rally took off Tuesday morning from the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego and ends its 1,700 mile journey on Wednesday, June 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour will stop in the communities where fuel cells and hydrogen stations are entering early commercial markets. The public is invited to test drive the vehicles at any one of 28 stops along the route to experience their range, performance and road readiness.

Schwarzenegger said he came to the Hydrogen Road Tour stop because he wants more hydrogen stations and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles than exist today. "I'm hungry!" said the governor. "I want more cars, more stations, and not just in California. I think Washington has to get with it."

"We will keep pushing, and thanks to our public-private partnerships and the commitment of these automakers and energy companies, the era of pollution-free transportation is dawning," Schwarzenegger said.

"Fuel cell technology is on the verge of becoming a practical alternative to burning gasoline," said Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols. "This year's road tour demonstrates how far the industry has come and how near we are to putting these cars in the public's hands."

On the road for the 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour are: Daimler's 2007 Mercedes-Benz/A-Class F-cell Plus, General Motors' 2007 Chevrolet Equinox, the 2009 Honda FCX Clarity, the 2009 Hyundai Tucson, the 2009 KIA Borrego, Nissan's 2005 X-Trail, Toyota's 2008 FCHV, and Volkswagen's 2008 Tiguan HyMotion.

Daimler's 2007 Mercedes-Benz/A-Class F-cell Plus at a stop in Burbank, California. May 27, 2009 (Photo courtesy California Fuel Cell Partnership)

Hydrogen powered vehicles use a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which creates electricity from a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cells are about 68 percent efficient, compared to about 19 percent efficiency of internal gasoline combustion engines, according to the California Fuel Cell Partnership. The only emission from a hydrogen fuel cell is water vapor.

Currently, just 300 fuel cell vehicles are traveling on California roads but manufacturers expect to increase that to 4,300 by 2014 and to more than 40,000 vehicles by 2017.

Fuel cell technology also is being used to power transit buses and forklifts, and to produce electricity for industrial uses. Examples of these will be showcased at some of the tour's stops.

California is building from an existing network of 26 hydrogen fueling stations throughout the state. Eventually, Southern California is expected to have the single largest fleet of hydrogen cars in the world with Santa Monica, Irvine, Torrance and Newport Beach becoming the world's first hydrogen communities.

"I'd like to congratulate the partnership, the individual auto manufacturers working to develop these cars and the companies installing needed refueling stations," Nichols said. "Their great progress secures our energy independence and defends the environment."

In April, the Air Resources Board adopted a Low Carbon Fuel Standard, complying with Governor Schwarzenegger's 2007 Executive Order that requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in California.

This standard is the first of its kind in the nation and establishes demand for lower carbon fuels, including hydrogen, without favoring one fuel over another.

To start, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard is expected to reduce the carbon intensity of California's passenger vehicle fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020.

Click here to see where the 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour will stop to allow people to test drive the cars.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.