GM has announced that is partnering with Hawaii utility The Gas Company to develop hydrogen fueling infrastructure on the island of Oahu.
The utility produces hydrogen along with synthetic natural gas. Through this partnership, it will tap into its pipelines, separate the hydrogen from the natural gas and deliver it to fueling stations where it can be used by fuel cell cars. GM says that because the hydrogen fuel will be delivered through existing infrastructure, it could be priced equally to or less than gasoline.
GM is essentially using Hawaii as a testing ground for ramping up its production and testing of fuel cell cars. The company is working on a fuel cell system that could be ready for commercialization by 2015 and this pilot project will help pave the way for its launch.
This project is great for Hawaii too as the island state is an ideal location for fuel cell cars for a few reasons: it has an abundant source of hydrogen fuel, it has a great need for a clean alternative to petroleum (it currently imports oil for 90 percent of its energy needs) and the state has made commitments to reduce petroleum use and to get 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
via GM
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written by Anita Pearl, May 11, 2010
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written by Ronald Brak, May 12, 2010
You know, if the goal is to make cars move, they could just eliminate one or two steps there.
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written by jjpro, May 20, 2010
The hydrogen produced is a by-product of the synthesized natural gas, so why not use it in a non-polluting vehicle? You get an over 60% reduction in CO2, along with an over 90% reduction in criteria pollutants. This makes a lot of sense. The fuel-cell vehicle is 3x as efficient as a gas-burning one, so your cost per mile will be less than a conventional vehicle. This is a win-win-win-win proposition. The customer wins, the environment wins, the suppliers win, and the islands win.
When you really look into hydrogen, it is a true winner; that is why Germany, Japan, South Korea, and others are moving toward hydrogen-energy technologies for transportation and other needs. The automobile manufacturers have done the math. People in this country ought to listen.
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