Air Products to build hydrogen fueling station for EPA/DaimlerChrysler/UPS
Air Products hydrogen will soon play a role in delivering daily packages to the workplace and home. An Air Products designed and built hydrogen fueling station will provide hydrogen to fuel delivery vehicles for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/DaimlerChrysler/UPS Fuel Cell Delivery Vehicle Initiative. The Initiative was announced today by EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and senior executives from Initiative partners, at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emission Laboratory in Ann Arbor, Mich.
"We are excited to provide the fueling station and fuel for this first-of- a-kind project. Air Products has already put into operation several hydrogen fueling and energy stations around the world. This is the first time a dedicated commercial fleet will utilize hydrogen as a fuel to conduct routine business that interacts with consumers. This is an important step in advancing toward a hydrogen economy," said Arthur T. Katsaros, Group Vice President at Air Products.
The Initiative responds to the national challenge set out by President George W. Bush in his 2003 State of the Union message. In his message, the President called for concerted efforts to move the country toward greater use of hydrogen as a carrier of energy throughout the economy.
The fuel cell powered vehicles in this initiative will operate on compressed hydrogen fuel from the Air Products hydrogen fueling station to be built at EPA's Ann Arbor facility. The station will use the latest technology for hydrogen storage, dispensing, and safety, and will be in operation in late 2003. This facility will provide hydrogen for all the fuel cell delivery vehicles involved with the Initiative, and also will be available for other EPA hydrogen fuel projects and hydrogen vehicles in the regional area.
The joint initiative between EPA, DaimlerChrysler, and UPS marks the first time efficient, zero emission fuel cell delivery vehicles have been introduced for use in a commercial vehicle fleet in North America. The DaimlerChrysler fuel cell vehicles will be used in normal UPS delivery operation on an established delivery route. An F-Cell, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class powered by a Ballard fuel cell, will be delivered in 2003 for use as an express-delivery vehicle by UPS. In 2004, a fuel cell Dodge Sprinter will be delivered as the first medium-duty fuel cell commercial delivery vehicle to be put in service in North America.
This program will enable DaimlerChrysler to continue evaluating fuel cell vehicle attributes such as fuel economy, cold-weather operation and driving performance. It also will allow the EPA, DaimlerChrysler and UPS to gain considerable operational experience with a fuel cell fleet vehicle and hydrogen refueling station.
EPA's National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory is the premier facility for the testing and evaluation of vehicle and emission control technologies in the U.S. Since the early 1970s, the lab has been at the forefront of numerous technological developments and has patented a wide range of devices and systems to reduce emissions and fuel use. National emission standards are established at the lab, and testing performed at the site confirms emission levels and fuel economy values for all vehicles marketed in the U.S.
Previous Air Products projects include work with the U.S. Department of Energy on the world's first hydrogen energy station featuring the co-production of hydrogen fuel and electric power. The Las Vegas, Nev. energy station, dedicated in November 2002, generates hydrogen on-site for fueling vehicles and producing electricity. In December 2002, Air Products introduced a new hydrogen fueling station system that can be relocated to meet a customer's changing needs.
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