Information about Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, hybrids and related topics. Tips to save on gas mileage (miles per gallon).

www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-27 09:13:23

    LOS ANGELES, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The first public hydrogen station in California with integrated hydrogen and gasoline refueling opened Thursday in Los Angeles, as part of the U.S. government's program to test and promote vehicles using alternative energies.

    The west Los Angeles station, operated by Shell Hydrogen, is the company's third vehicle refueling stations in the United States, after one located in Washington, D.C. and another in New York.

    The station could give consumers a taste of the future, with refueling services for hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles becoming just as convenient as conventional gasoline motors, said Shell Hydrogen in a statement.

    It will also support a U.S. Department of Energy hydrogen infrastructure program, to supply hydrogen to future and existing General Motors fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

    GM plans to lease more than 30 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell-Electric compact SUVs to private and commercial customers in Southern California, as part of a three-year trial, named "Project Driveaway" to test the vehicles in real world driving conditions.

    The zero-emissions Chevrolet Equinox is powered by GM's fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion system and meets all applicable 2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified the hydrogen-powered Equinox Fuel Cell as a zero-emission vehicle.

    "California has made significant progress demonstrating fuel cell vehicle technology and fuel alternatives, but this still requires much more progress by vehicle and infrastructure providers and the state," said Los Angeles city councilman Bill Rosendahl at the launching ceremony.

    Larry Burns, GM Vice President for Research & Development and Strategic Planning, said that the hydrogen infrastructure for automobiles is economically viable and doable, and it requires a collective will by automakers, energy suppliers, and governments to take infrastructure to the next level.

    The Shell station opened Thursday is also California's first hydrogen refueling station that is integrated with an existing conventional gasoline station.