Fuel cells start to look real
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The California Fuel Cell Partnership
The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a voluntary alliance of automakers and energy companies, as well as state and federal government organizations, working to demonstrate and promote awareness of fuel-cell vehicle technology. The partnership - which was formally established in April 1999 - includes automakers (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen); energy providers (BP, Shell, and Texaco); fuel-cell companies (Ballard Power Systems and International Fuel Cells); and government agencies (the California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, South Coast Air Quality Management District, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Transportation).
The joint project is aimed at demonstrating the everyday practicality of fuel-cell vehicles, initiating discussion on the topic of fuel-cell infrastructures, and preparing the California market for this new technology. Between 2001 and 2003, the partners intend to test more than 50 cars and buses incorporating innovative drive technologies under everyday operating conditions - fueled by hydrogen, methanol, and perhaps a purer form of gasoline.
The partnership opened the West Sacramento Fuel Cell Vehicle and Fueling Facility in the fall of 2000. Hydrogen is the fuel of choice at the 5100-m2 (55,000-ft2) facility. It features a large, above-ground tank of liquid hydrogen that delivers hydrogen fuel at pressures up to 34 MPa (5000 psi). It is the only hydrogen fuel facility in Northern California and one of two in the state. The other is in Palm Springs. The partnership hopes to add a third in-state refueling facility in the Bay Area.
The partnership recently added four companies with expertise in developing hydrogen-fueling stations as associate partners. The companies - Hydrogen Burner Technology, Pacific Gas and Electric, Proton Energy Systems, Inc., and Stuart Energy Systems - will assist in exploring the development of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California. Each will provide at least one hydrogen fueling station for the partnership's demonstration program.
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