DAVIS, Calif. -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an order Tuesday for California to have a network of stations offering the pollution-free hydrogen fuel up and down the state within six years.
Schwarzenegger signed the order after driving around a university campus in a Toyota Highlander propelled by a clean-burning hydrogen engine. The University of California at Davis is the site for one of America's most advanced centers for the study of alternative transportation systems.
Although many industry experts say the plans are ambitious -- estimated to cost US$100 million -- Schwarzenegger said he believes the technology is available but government needs to play a catalyst role in making the new fuel system a reality.
"Your government will lead by example," he said. "As I have said many times, the choice is not between economic progress and environmental protection. Here in California, growth and protecting our nature beauty go hand in hand."
Schwarzenegger's order calls on state agencies to work with private companies and existing research coalitions to build the hydrogen network. He has asked California Environmental Protection Secretary Terry Tamminen to come up with a plan by Jan. 1 2005, for how the system might be put together.
He said he will support legislation that would create tax incentives or public financing proposals that might be needed.
Still, much work remains to be done.
Like the Toyota that Schwarzenegger tested, a number of auto manufacturers have built special fuel cell vehicles for test purposes.
Instead of using gasoline for power, fuel cell cars are powered by electric engines that rely on a chemical reaction caused when hydrogen and oxygen are mixed. The chemical reaction produces electricity which powers the vehicle.
The vehicle that Schwarzenegger drove has a driving radius of about 120 miles before needing a fill up, according to Ken Kurani, a UC Davis research engineer. Currently the cost of both the vehicle and the fuel is far more that existing gas models but as more and more hydrogen vehicles are built and fueling stations are established, the price should come down, Kurani said.
EPA's Tamminen has said the network proposed by the governor would provide about 200 stations statewide -- a small fraction of California's existing network of 10,000 retail gas outlets today.
California already has 10 stations -- including one at UC Davis and one in West Sacramento, two in the Bay area and five in Southern California. About 10 more could be up and running in a relatively short time frame, according to Tamminen
Schwarzenegger also noted he would work aggressively to get some of the US$1.7 billion that President Bush has promised for hydrogen research.
