Despite some executives' relecutance to get into the energy business, General Motors is taking a more active role in developing a network of hydrogen stations to refuel the smattering of fuel cell vehicles around California.

The latest effort is an announcement by GM and Clean Energy for a new hydrogen pump outside of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Clean Energy will install a hydrogen pump on the same site where it already dispenses compressed natural gas. 

The new LAX station will be accessible to drivers participating in the Project Driveway program in the Los Angeles area. The station also will be the primary fueling location for the six Equinoxes on loan to Virgin Atlantic for transporting first-class passengers flying into and out of LAX.

Dan O'Connell, GM's director of fuel cell commercialization, assists with a fillup.

On the topic of supplying hydrogen from the LAX station to other fuel cell vehicle drivers, Dan O'Connell, GM's director of fuel cell commercialization, tells Hydrogen Forecast that GM "would be very interesting in talking to other OEMs, working to promote the hydrogen infrastructure."

Unfortunately for drivers of the upcoming Honda FCX Clarity, which begins sales later this summer, that car operates at 5,000psi and would not be able to use this station.

GM officials have criticized petroleum companies and government for not matching the auto industry's pace on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with an infrastructure to refuel the vehicles. Just 40 hydrogen stations - or roughly a $40 million investment, would be enough to power a sizeable fuel cell vehicle fleet in the greater Los Angeles area, Larry Burns, GM's vice president of Research and Development, said during the National Hydrogen Association annual meeting in 2008.

The new relationship with Clean Energy follows a similar partnership with Shell Hydrogen. O'Connell tells HF that Shell and GM have opened hydrogen stations in Washington,  D.C. and White Plains, NY with three others planned in California and New York this year.

The LAX station is expected to open in early fall 2008. GM is examining other Clean Energy CNG locations that may fit in with Project Driveway for additional stations. Project Driveway participants in Los Angeles currently have access to stations at University of California - Irvine as well as in Santa Monica and Burbank.  GM is also working with the South Coast Air Quality Management District to get additional stations upgraded to 10,000psi.  The company's goal is to see six to eight stations in the LA area for Project Driveway.

The Clean Energy station will have hydrogen brought in tanker truck and compressed up to 10,000psi. Clean Energy "is interested in a lot of different applications for hydrogen" says O'Connell and will be examining whether steam reforming of hydrogen is another efficient option. O'Connell declined to specify the third party responsible for supplying the hydrogen for the new station.

 

Clean Energy currently operates 170 compressed natural gas filling stations around North America. Efficient on-site hydrogen generation could greatly simplify distribution by using gas coming from existing gas pipelines. Clean Energy is also interested in producing a blended fuel of CNG and hydrogen known as Hythane. Using hythane in CNG ready vehicles can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption.

O'Connell also provides an update on Project Driveway, GM's large scale field test of fuel cell vehicles. Of the planned 100-plus fuel cell Equinoxes, approximately 85 have now been built. Of those, GM has delivered more than 30 to customers, with that number expected to reach 40 within the next two weeks. GM has close to 8,000 people on the waiting list, O'Connell tells HF and "the vehicles are performing exceptionally well." 

"The response has been just tremendous, we've had a lot of our mainstream drivers out there talking to people, they've given great feedback to the media as well as to their friends and neighbors." O'Connell says GM is "having a difficult time asking for the keys back after 3 months."

Prior to release, GM's analysis of the Equinox indicated an expected range of 160 miles based on the new EPA test procedure.  According to O'Connell, most drivers are reporting considerably more mileage more than that. One interesting lesson that GM has learned is that people want a distinctive vehicle. Similar to Prius drivers who want to show off the fact that they are driving a hybrid, Equinox drivers prefer having more substantial signage on the vehicles. People want to show off the fact that they are on the cutting edge of automotive technology, he says.

JUNE 2008