Hydrogen Road Tour Begins Today: Good Luck Finding Fuel
Honda's FCX Clarity fuel-cell electric car (right) is one of 10 vehicles traveling 'cross country in Hydrogen Road Tour '08.
Ever wonder what a hydrogen fuel cell really looks like, or how a fuel-cell electric vehicle handles? Itching to try that hydrogen-burning BMW 7-Series that so far has been piloted publicly only by high profile business, entertainment and political people?
(Article modified at 6:45 a.m, Pacific Daylight Time)
Your chance of laying eyes, or hands, on a vehicle using what many still believe will be the fuel of the future increases beginning today as a coalition of hydrogen backers launch a 13-day, 18-state, 31-city, cross-country tour to boost interest in hydrogen vehicles.
We wish them well. And we hope everyone who has a chance stops by, takes a look - or a drive - and becomes a hydrogen missionary.
But there's a sad note to what is being billed as the "Hydrogen Road Tour '08."
At times, Mostly,
the vehicles will be trucked rather than driven to locations very near their various destinations on diesel or gasoline-burning commercial carriers. After being off-loaded, they'll be driven under their own power just a few short miles to the venues.
There just aren't enough hydrogen fueling locations in the country to permit
the hydrogen road warriors to actually drive the entire cross-country route, or even
across many most of the states in which they'll be showing off their cars
and buses.
There are only 61 operating hydrogen fuel stations in the country, with two more scheduled to open during the tour.
That's in contrast to about 173,000 gasoline stations and 1,500 ethanol stations, according to the National hydrgen Assn.'s count.
To keep the vehicles on the road under their own power as much as possible during the tour, the organizers are using portable fueling facilities along the route.
Companies with fuel-cell electric or hydrogen
internal combustion vehicles on the tour and available for test drives
are BMW, Daimler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota
and Volkswagen.
The event begins this morning in Portland Main and ends Aug. 23 in Los Angeles. A complete itinerary is scheduled to be posted on the tour website sometime today.
The
main goal of the event, organized by the federal transportation and
energy departments, the National Hydrogen Assn. and the California Fuel
Cell Partnership, is to boost awareness of and interest in
hydrogen-fueled transportation technologies.
But the organizers
also will be hauling along a portable hydrogen filling station and want
to show people that filling one of these vehicles is safe and easy.
A
number of capital cities, including the nation's, are on the itinerary,
as are several university towns. The idea is to get opinion leaders
such as elected officials and educators, fired up about the prospects
for hydrogen.
One thing most will see is that the vehicles could
be ready for market soon, but need subsidies to help reduce initial
costs and an effort by private enterprise to start installing hydrogen
fuel facilities.
Because even though movie stars, politicians
and a few select "ordinary" people can zoom around Los Angeles,
Washington D.C. and parts of New York in test versions of several
hydrogen vehicles today, there's little future for an alternative fuel
vehicle that can't find fuel wherever the road may go.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
- Posted by
- John O'Dell August 11, 2008, 2:45 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, BMW, Daimler, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
- Technorati Tags:
- California Fuel Cell Partnershp, Hydrogen Road Tour, National Hydrogen Association
John,
To let you know, the majority of the tour IS being driven. I know this because my company, Nuvera Fuel Cells, is part of the tour: we are a refueling stop. Not a mobile refueler; a stationary refilling site, that will be unveiled today as the first in MA. Check your sources before you publish false information!
Danielle Andre
Nuvera Fuel Cells
Diandre--Yes, the majority of the tour is being driven, I was relying on information from one of the participants and it was erroneous in that respect.
But, as you can see from the now-modified posting (6:45 am Pacific time), one reason the cars can be driven on much of the route is that the tour is using portable stations. There really are not enough fixed, permanent hydrogen stations in the country to enable a cross-country drive.
John,
You mentioned that "There really are not enough fixed, permanent hydrogen stations in the country to enable a cross-country drive."
This is exactly the purpose of the Hydrogen Road Tour. The idea is to build awareness of all of the advancements with hydrogen vehicles, so the hydrogen fueling stations will get built.
While I appreciate your correcting your initial error, I don't get why you have such a cynical tone.
Surely you understand that we are in a horrible energy crisis. Do you want to do something about it? Or do you just want to waste your time by focusing on the fact that the solutions are not already in place (which everybody already knows)?
It's very easy to be a critic. You don't have to take any responsibility for solving the problem.
But if you want to be part of the solution, take a look at this link and read about the Hydrogen Manhattan Project:
http://hydrogendiscoveries.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/hydrogen-manhattan-project/
Greg Blencoe, CEO
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.
Hey John,
Thanks for sharing this information. Would you mind revisiting this subject when the full schedule is posted just so we can be sure we don't miss it?
If this tour is coming anywhere near Little Rock, Arkansas I plan to be there. I believe this technology holds immense promise for the future, and I'm curious to see some of it up close.
Crowb,
The tour is stopping in Rolla, Missouri (see details at the following link):
http://hydrogendiscoveries.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/hydrogen-road-tour-schedule-for-tour-stop-at-the-missouri-university-of-science-and-technology-in-rolla-missouri-on-tuesday-august-19th/
The prior stop will be in Smyrna (Nashville), Tennessee at the Nissan facility. But the date and time have not been released yet on www.hydrogenroadtour.com.
Greg Blencoe, CEO
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.
Thanks, Greg.
Five hours to Rolla might be a bit of a stretch, but I've got a friend in Nashville who will let me crash on his couch. So the Smyrna stop might be my best shot.
Jeeze guys (re diandre and gregblencoe), slow down and read!
Check out the third graf and the final two grafs (the rest of the piece is just data and info):
"We wish them well. And we hope everyone who has a chance stops by, takes a look - or a drive - and becomes a hydrogen missionary...
One thing most will see is that the vehicles could be ready for market soon, but need subsidies to help reduce initial costs and an effort by private enterprise to start installing hydrogen fuel facilities.
Because even though movie stars, politicians and a few select "ordinary" people can zoom around Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and parts of New York in test versions of several hydrogen vehicles today, there's little future for an alternative fuel vehicle that can't find fuel wherever the road may go."
That's not negativity, it's lobbying (without beating you over the head) for more effort to build hydrogen infrastructure.
Crowb,
Just thought I'd let you know that the Hydrogen Road Tour website now has the information posted for all of the tour stops.
Here is the Smyrna (Nashville), TN schedule:
Smyrna, Tennessee
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Nissan, 893 Nissan Drive, Smyrna, TN 37408
Contact: Mark E. Hairr, (423) 208-7400
Local Organizer: Center for Transportation & Environment
http://www.hydrogenroadtour.com/
Greg Blencoe, CEO
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.
Crowb,
I forgot to mention that the Smyrna tour stop is on Monday, August 18th.
Greg Blencoe, CEO
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.