| FuelCellStocks.Com Fuel Cell News August 8, 2005 Ford Hydrogen buses to roll in Lehigh Valley One bus will be used for campus transportation at the Trexlertown headquarters of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., the world's largest supplier of hydrogen. The other bus will be based at the Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology in South Whitehall Township, where it will be used for trips to schools and other educational efforts. Both buses, to be built by Ford Motor Co., will fill up at a specialized fuel station at Air Products' Trexlertown campus. The Valley will be one of very few regions its size to host a hydrogen vehicle test. Most pilot programs so far have taken place in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Sacramento, Calif. Hydrogen can power cars, computers, even buildings. The power is pollution-free, with no significant by-products except heat and water. Hydrogen backers believe the element will some day replace gasoline and other fossil fuels. They also believe public outreach projects, such as the Valley test, will help persuade Americans to make the switch to the new fuel. ''People are going to be able to see that, 'Hey, this stuff works,' '' said Gregg Bortz, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District. Dent, a member of the House Transportation Committee, helped make the project possible by getting it included in a federal highway spending bill. That $286 billion bill, approved by both houses of Congress last week, includes $1.8 million to pay for the buses, the fuel station, educational materials and modifications to a liquid hydrogen trailer that will be used to carry the fuel. President Bush is expected to sign the bill soon. The local pilot program will serve as the first U.S. test of a new fueling concept, according to Air Products. The modified hydrogen trailer will carry liquid hydrogen that will be pumped into the bus as a high-pressure gas. Most prototype hydrogen buses and cars run on high-pressure gas. But, Air Products says, no one has designed a single vehicle that can deliver liquid hydrogen and convert it into a gas. That would be a breakthrough because hydrogen can be delivered much more efficiently as a liquid. That means more fuel can be brought to a pumping station in a single tanker-load. Fewer tanker trips, in turn, means less energy used. ''The need for multiple deliveries of high-pressure gaseous hydrogen in tube trailers may essentially be eliminated,'' Air Products officials wrote in their project proposal to Dent. Hydrogen cars and buses are still years away from mass production, and have been publicly tested on a limited basis. A Toyota Highlander SUV refitted with fuel cell power visited Air Products' headquarters in November 2003, in what was believed to be the first Lehigh Valley appearance of a fuel cell car. About 50 workers got to see it. Hydrogen vehicles drive, handle and accelerate like regular gasoline models. The main difference is the lack of tailpipe emissions. The buses to be used in the Lehigh Valley will be based on Ford's E450 shuttle vans, officials said. Ford introduced a 12-seat hydrogen-powered E450 H2ICE model last September, using two as shuttle buses at the annual North American International Auto Show. Some aspects of the local test have yet to be worked out, officials said. For instance, it's not clear if or when the average Valley resident will get to watch the buses refuel. Air Products' corporate campus has a security gate on its main Hamilton Boulevard entrance, and is not generally open to the public. Safety issues also have not been addressed. Hydrogen backers argue that the substance is no more dangerous than gasoline, when handled the right way. Still, since hydrogen reacts differently from gasoline, local public safety agencies may need extra training and education on how to deal with the buses in the event of an accident. Air Products spokesman Art George said the company is aware of safety concerns, and will address them. George said the pilot program will respond to growing demand, especially from schools, for more information about hydrogen. ''I get phone calls here all the time from schools … asking, 'Do we have a vehicle they can see?''' he said. ''This outreach program is going to make it possible to educate a lot of people on what the technology is all about.'' Air Products and the Da Vinci Center have collaborated for years on science education programs, said Rob Fox, the center's director of education. The hands-on learning center for children is slated to open its new building Oct. 30 on the campus of Cedar Crest College. Teaching children about hydrogen today will prepare them for the future, said Venki Raman, former head of Air Products' hydrogen energy research. Raman now runs Protium Energy Technologies, a hydrogen-focused consulting firm in Emmaus. ''When they grow up, that's when they're going to see more of these vehicles,'' Raman said. Air Products has also been a leading builder of fuel stations for hydrogen cars, with more than 30 built. Until this past week, the company's stations were entirely designed in Trexlertown. On Wednesday, Air Products announced a collaboration with FuelCell Energy, a Connecticut company whose technology will be used in a new station design. Bush established hydrogen as America's main future fuel in his 2003 State of the Union address. He boosted research funding for hydrogen while cutting it for other alternative fuels. Major technical hurdles must still be solved before the substance can be widely used, though. Some key auto parts, including fuel cells and hydrogen storage tanks, are still too expensive for mass production. Also, major energy companies must find new ways to make large quantities of hydrogen. Most hydrogen produced today is made from natural gas, a fossil fuel — and the whole point of a hydrogen economy is to get away from fossil fuels. Most hydrogen made today is used by oil refineries to extract sulfur from crude oil, making cleaner gasoline. kurt.blumenau@mcall.com 610-820-6664
|