Fuel-Cell Vehicles To Compete In Annual Road Rally

Today the California Air Resources Board announced the 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour, an annual road rally to demonstrate the advancements in fuel-cell technology. It starts May 26 in San Diego,and ends June 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Annual road rally will highlight advances in fuel-cell technology and show that Hydrogen powered vehicles are near consumer readiness.

Organized by the ARB, California Fuel Cell Partnership, National Hydrogen Association and US Fuel Cell Council, the tour will travel more than 1,700 miles and have 28 stops. The public will be invited to test drive the vehicles and experience first hand their range, performance and road readiness.

“Fuel cell technology is on the verge of becoming a practical alternative to burning gasoline,” said Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “This year’s road tour demonstrates how far the industry has come and how near we are to putting these cars in the public’s hands.”

Currently, 300 fuel-cell vehicles have been placed on California roads and manufacturers expect to increase that to 4,300 by 2014. Fuel cell technology is also being used to power transit buses and forklifts, and to produce electricity for industrial uses. Examples of these will be showcased at some of the tour’s stops.

California is a proponent of diversifying the fuels used topower transportation. As part of ARB’s 2006-2007 budget, the California legislature allotted $25 million for the purposes of encouraging the use of biofuels and high efficiency, low-emitting vehicle technologies. These funds were used to support projects that reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by using alternative fuels.

In April 2009, ARB adopted a low carbon fuel standard fulfilling Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2007 executive order. The regulation is aimed at driving down greenhouse gas emissions which accounts for 40 percent of the state’s total emissions. To achieve this goal 20 percent of petroleum used in California cars will be replaced with clean alternatives, including electricity,biofuels, hydrogen and other options by 2020.