Courtesy photo A Connecticut-based company is looking to bring hydrogen fueling stations similar to one seen here to the Interstate 95 corridor.
It's a chicken-or-egg scenario when it comes to emerging fuel-cell technology allowing automobiles to be powered by hydrogen and emit little more than a trickle of water from the tailpipe.Manufacturers need to commit funds to mass-producing the vehicles, but hydrogen fueling stations to fill those vehicles also are needed.A push to set up a hydrogen fueling infrastructure has been in development in California for more than four years as car manufactures lease out test-model vehicles. Now, a new proposal has a Connecticut company looking to establish a "hydrogen highway" on the Interstate-95 corridor from Florida to Maine.Wallingford, Conn.-based Proton Energy Systems has announced plans to develop the privately funded network of stations along the East Coast through sister company SunHydro."Hydrogen vehicles are much better for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles have zero harmful emissions," said Robert Friedland, president and chief executive officer of Proton Energy, which makes equipment that derives hydrogen from water. SunHydro has received approval to develop a hydrogen refueling station at its headquarters in Wallingford and plans to build upward of 10-15 new stations in the next two years to satisfy what the company anticipates will be growing consumer demand."The goal is to make it possible for a hydrogen car to drive from Maine to Florida strictly on sun and water via SunHydro stations. Our goal is 100 percent off the grid," said Michael Grey, president of SunHydro. Initial plans call for the nearest stations to be built in Braintree, Mass., and Portland, Maine."We have looked at New Hampshire, but are not ready to name a specific location at this point," Grey said.Companies ranging from Honda to Mercedes-Benz have been developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles for years with the goal of creating a zero-emissions vehicle that can operate in all climates and reduce dependence on petroleum-based fuels.California has led the charge, having set up public/private partnerships in a state that now has a hydrogen highway. Manufacturers are leasing and testing about 250 fuel-cell "demonstration" vehicles in metro- politan hubs ranging from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay area.California Air Resources Board spokesman Dimtri Stanich said the governor asked his organization to help set up a hydrogen highway system, but the "trajectory" of that executive order has been evolving away from a long string of hydrogen stations up the coast toward a new plan that would place them in concentrated hubs.California Fuel Cell Partnership spokesman Roy Kim said California currently has 26 hydrogen fueling stations that can service a fuel cell vehicle. The vehicles are filled up with hydrogen gas and use a fuel cell that employs a chemical reaction to derive electricity."It's almost like a little power plant, and the byproduct is water," Kim said.Kim said the cars have a smaller battery than a traditional electric car. The battery can serve as a buffer to store electricity during certain driving conditions, but the main propulsion unit is the fuel cell, which creates electricity as long as it's being fed pressurized hydrogen gas.The gas stored in the vehicle's tanks never loses its stored energy.The main difference between an electric and a fuel cell vehicle is the former stores energy in a battery while a fuel cell constantly creates electricity with a chemical reaction.Kim said fuel-cell vehicles emit only a small amount of water from their tailpipe, not enough to affect road surfaces, and he noted that some vehicle designs also would circulate the water back into the system as a coolant.The possible effect on road conditions is "a concern that the manufacturers have taken into account," Kim said.He said manufacturers are seeking to meet standards that would allow fuel cell vehicles to be fully functional in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees, which is why he said they are often tested in places like British Columbia and Rochester, N.Y.As for the specifics of fuel mileage, that's still being worked on, according to Kim, but the California Fuel Cell Partnership provided information showing fuel cell vehicles are two to three times as efficient as conventional combustion engine vehicles.Honda's website boasts that its new FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle has twice the driving energy efficiency of a standard compact hybrid-electric vehicle and three times the efficiency of a compact internal combustion engine vehicle fueled solely by gasoline.The Clarity is being leased for about $600 a month in a "limited release," with most in California. Kim said major auto manufacturers working with the California Fuel Cell Partnership have reached a consensus that they will target 2017 as the year to introduce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market. Projections from the partnership estimate 50,000 will be sold nationwide, with 80 percent of those for markets in southern California.SunHydro leaders have indicated their company will produce hydrogen gas on site at their stations using solar power and water. Company leaders say the energy it takes to produce a kilogram of hydrogen is comparable to the amount of energy needed to produce a gallon of gasoline. They indicate most fuel cell cars will need 4-6 kilograms to fill the tank, and a full tank will have a range of 300-plus miles. Grey said he has confidence that the building of stations on the I-95 corridor will make "original equipment manufacturers" more inclined to produce fuel-cell vehicles and consumers more likely to buy them on the East Coast."The presence of a fueling station will certainly figure into the decision of a driver to acquire a fuel cell car. To realize the full potential of the fuel cell vehicle and to expand the market, stations are needed and welcomed by both (manufacturers) and the public," Grey said.As automakers work to reduce the price tag of fuel-cell vehicles — an aspect widely considered to be one of the biggest hurdles in getting them onto car lots — some have taken to a hybrid approach, integrating the use of hydrogen power into existing cars.Tai Robinson — president and chief engineering officer for Intergalactic Hydrogen — said his company already is retrofitting standard internal combustion engine vehicles to run on hydrogen.He said his "multifuel" vehicles can run on everything from standard gasoline or natural gas to hydrogen and propane.Robinson's Phoenix-based business has produced a hydrogen-powered Hummer and a "tri-fuel" Chevy Suburban.The entrepreneur said multifuel vehicles could help bridge the gap until more hydrogen fuel stations are introduced."They're the best of all worlds ... it works in today's infrastructure, but creates the demand for more hydrogen stations. What works today paves the way for tomorrow," Robinson said.Robinson noted his red, white and blue "H2 Toy" Toyota Tacoma can run on natural gas or hydrogen fuel with a $14 fill-up getting him 175 miles of driving."Toxic gasoline is the enemy ... we have to get away from it," he said.And he said his retrofitted multifuel vehicles are certainly eco-friendly."They are cleaner out the tailpipe than breathing the air in New York or Washington, D.C.," Robinson said.
Courtesy photo A Connecticut-based company is looking to bring hydrogen fueling stations similar to one seen here to the Interstate 95 corridor.
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