Shell, GM announce FCVs, fueling program for NY G eneral Motors and Shell Hydrogen have revealed an aggressive joint plan to bring hydrogen FCVs to New York and establish the city as a critical link in an East Coast 'hydrogen corridor'. The project is part of the Department of Energy's FCV and infrastructure demonstration and validation program.
Under the proposed plan, GM will provide 13 fuel cell-powered vehicles, while Shell Hydrogen will establish the state's first hydrogen service station in the New York City metropolitan area in 2006. It is anticipated that the station will involve installing a portable hydrogen refueling module at an existing Shell outlet. GM and Shell are the only team bringing FCVs and hydrogen refueling to New York's metropolitan area under the DOE program.
The city's FCV fleet will be powered by GM's newest-generation fuel cell power module, developed at its facility in Honoeye Falls and used in the recently unveiled Sequel concept vehicle [FCB, February]. The system design is said to be simpler, more efficient and smaller than the previous generation, yet it delivers 25% more power and offers enhanced durability. According to Larry Burns, GM's VP for R&D and planning, the New York fleet will put the state at the forefront on the road to a sustainable future in which vehicles, industries and the US economy 'are energized by hydrogen'.
The New York fleet is part of a total of 40 vehicles that GM is building under the DOE program. The company will also introduce fleets in California and the Detroit metro area and expand the current fleet in Washington, DC which includes six HydroGen3 vehicles.
In addition to the New York hydrogen station, the DOE program will also see Shell build another East Coast fueling site between New York and Washington, where the company already has a hydrogen station in operation [FCB, January]. Together, the three stations will provide the foundation for an 'East Coast Corridor', similar in concept to the planned California Hydrogen Highway, which will place fuel cell fleets in concentrated areas [FCB, June 2004].
Shell will also build two hydrogen refueling stations in California as part of the DOE program.