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Hydrogen Road Tour is under way
By eTrucker Staff
A fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles is touring the United States for two weeks to show Americans one possible component of their transportation future.
Nine auto manufacturers, the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the National Hydrogen Association and the U.S. Department of Transportation are sponsoring the Hydrogen Road Tour, which concludes Aug. 23 in Los Angeles, in an attempt to show that hydrogen vehicle and fueling technologies are approaching commercial availability, even as research continues.
"The technology necessary to put these cars on the road, and keep them moving, exists today," said Paul Brubaker, head of the DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration. "The question is not if hydrogen-powered vehicles will be available commercially, but when."
Brubaker noted that six transit agencies across the country currently operate hydrogen-powered buses, Southern California auto dealers are leasing hydrogen vehicles, and hundreds of individuals are driving hydrogen-powered vehicles in demonstration programs across the United States. Hydrogen can be used as a fuel not only in fuel-cell vehicles but also in modified internal combustion engines, he said.
Hydrogen produces virtually no greenhouse gas emissions, leaving behind only water as a byproduct, Brubaker said.
Hydrogen skeptics argue that any large-scale use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel would require an enormous investment in new infrastructure -- something not necessary with electric cars, which were successfully road-tested by hundreds of drivers a decade ago.
The Hydrogen Road Tour will make 31 stops in 18 states, stretching from Maine to California. Hydrogen vehicles from BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen will be making the journey and will be joined by hydrogen transit buses along the route. Air Products and Chemicals and Linde are providing mobile refueling stations and hydrogen fuel.
For more information, including dates and locations of each stop, visit http://hydrogenroadtour08.dot.gov. |
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