CA Governor Schwarzenegger Joins Annual Hydrogen Road Tour to Highlight Advances in Fuel-Cell Technology

05/27/2009 -- Appearing at a West Los Angeles Shell hydrogen station today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the 2009 Hydrogen Road Tour to highlight advances in fuel-cell technology. Organized by the California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Fuel Cell Partnership, National Hydrogen Association and U.S. Fuel Cell Council, the annual road rally began on Monday, May 25 in San Diego and ends on Wednesday, June 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The public is invited to test drive the vehicles at one of 28 stops along the 1,700 mile road tour and experience firsthand their range, performance and road readiness.

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“California set out to prove to the nation and world that low-carbon fuels and vehicles on our roads and highways are safe, affordable and viable,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “This tour showcases what I envisioned five years ago when I launched the Hydrogen Highway. Our goal of a cleaner, greener and healthier California will require revolutionary new vehicle technologies and low-carbon fuels that will also spur the clean-tech economy. We will keep pushing, and thanks to our public-private partnerships and the commitment of these automakers and energy companies, the era of pollution-free transportation is dawning.”

California is building from an existing network of 26 hydrogen fueling stations throughout the state which have supported up to 300 fuel-cell vehicles accumulating over two million miles on California roads. Auto manufacturers expect the number of hydrogen vehicles to increase to 4,300 by 2014 and more than 40,000 vehicles by 2017. Southern California will be the home of the single largest fleet of hydrogen cars in the world with Santa Monica, Irvine, Torrance and Newport Beach becoming the world’s first “hydrogen communities.” Fuel cell technology is also being used to power transit buses and forklifts and to produce distributed electricity for industrial uses.

In April, ARB adopted a Low Carbon Fuel Standard, fulfilling Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2007 executive order that requires fuel providers to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels sold in California. This first-of-its-kind standard firmly establishes sustainable demand for lower carbon fuels, including hydrogen, without favoring one fuel over another. To start, the standard will reduce the carbon intensity of California’s passenger vehicle fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020 and more thereafter.

Source: California Governor