News for the natural gas vehicle industry worldwide
More than 20% reduction in material utilization
Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., a natural gas, alternative fuel systems and clean propulsion vehicle technologies provider, has received the notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a new patent on lightweight composite shells of natural gas and hydrogen storage tanks. Read more »
BMW Manufacturing’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has more than doubled its fleet of hydrogen-powered material handling equipment, using systems supplied by Linde North America. The 4.0 million square foot production facility now powers its entire hydrogen-fuel cell fleet of more than 230 units to service the plant’s production and logistics functions, making it one of the largest fuel cell forklift sites in the world. Read more »
The Aston Martin aims for a CO2 emissions-free lap at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
Aston Martin will race a pioneering hybrid hydrogen car at the 41st ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May. The company claims the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S – based on it’s new four-door, four-seat sports car – will become the first hydrogen-powered car to compete in an international event as well as the first zero CO2 emissions sports car to complete a race pace lap at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. Read more »
LNG refuelling for road transport every 400 kms
EU-wide refuelling for CNG vehicles
All 139 maritime and inland ports to have LNG refuelling
Common EU standards; binding targets
The European Commission has launched an ambitious package of measures to ensure the build-up of alternative fuel stations across Europe with common standards for their design and use. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the latter for refuelling heavy duty vehicles and marine vessels, are included. Policy initiatives so far have mostly addressed the actual fuels and vehicles, without considering fuels distribution. Efforts to provide incentives have been uncoordinated and insufficient. Read more »
OMV Prototype H2 Station at Shuttleworthstraße
On 17 October 2012, OMV opened the first public hydrogen filling station at Shuttleworthstraße in Vienna’s 21st district. OMV says this latest development therefore signifies a further step towards sustainability and emission-free mobility. Hydrogen vehicles operate without producing on-road emissions, because only water vapor comes out of the exhaust. Read more »
Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has published a safety and reliability standard for hydrogen fuel cell motorcycles, paving the way for mass production and future export. According to a report published by The China Post, a number of manufacturer models already comply with, or exceed, the requirements. The standard was prepared as part of the ongoing cross-strait integration of standards with China, said MOEA Deputy Minister Tu Tzu-chu. Read more »
Hydrogen-based transport took another step forward this week when industrial gases and engineering company BOC undertook the UK’s first-ever refuelling of a 700 bar hydrogen passenger vehicle. The car, a Hyundai ix35 FCEV, was refuelled in compliance with the industry’s international operating standard, the SAE J2601 Protocol, at the UK’s only public-access hydrogen refuelling station in Swindon. Read more »
London’s hydrogen bus fleet has reached a fuelling milestone, having undertaken 1000 fuellings since inauguration, at the Air Products fuelling station at Lea Interchange, Stratford. One fuel tank of hydrogen allows a hydrogen bus to run for at least 18 hours. The 1000 fuellings have enabled the buses to travel approximately 100,000 miles around the capital, only emitting water from their exhaust pipes. Read more »
Signatories to the Hydrogen station Letter of Intent (Minister of Transport - BMVBS - holding document)
The German Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) and several industrial companies have signed a joint Letter of Intent to expand the network of hydrogen filling stations in Germany. Guided by the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP), the signatories are investing more than EUR 40 million (USD 50.7 million) to expand the country’s network of hydrogen filling stations from currently 15 to 50, by 2015. Read more »
ITM Power, a UK-based energy storage and clean fuel company, has achieved CE compliance for a standardised HFuel product, the Company’s transportable hydrogen refueling system. This enables commercial sales of such systems to commence in the EU. Following a competitive tender process, ITM Power won a contract to design and supply a refueling product to The University of Nottingham. This provided the opportunity to CE mark an HFuel generation, storage and dispensing product.
Hyundai Motor Company's ix35 fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV)
Hyundai Motor Company’s ix35 fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) has been selected by the European Commission backed Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), based in Brussels, for use as a demonstration vehicle and to promote hydrogen fuel cell technology in a real-world environment. The car will be available for testing by Members of the European Parliament, Commissioners, EU Officials and other policy makers. Read more »
H2 refuelling station opens at HUM in Swindon
The first open-access hydrogen station in the UK has officially opened today at the Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd site in Swindon, near the M4 motorway. The station, the outcome of a project involving three partners – BOC, Honda and Forward Swindon (an economic development company) – has the capability to operate at 350 and 700 bar pressure. It can fuel cars, buses and small commercial vehicles, and provides a link in a network of smaller scale hydrogen hubs based around academic research centres. Read more »
Air Products H2 fueling station at OCSD's municipal wastewater treatment facility
Air Products, a hydrogen fueling technology manufacturer, has opened its newest California hydrogen fueling station, drawing feedstock generated from the municipal wastewater treatment plant at the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) in Fountain Valley. In addition to generating hydrogen, the project also creates electricity and heat from this renewable source. Air Products states this technology application is uniquely the first in the world and opens significant opportunities for other biogas feedstock streams.
Tyrano, an H2-powered Class 8 truck
The Port of Long Beach and Vision Motor Corporation of El Segundo, California entered into an agreement in November 2010, to develop and demonstrate a hydrogen fuel cell/plug-in electric class 8 on-road truck, the Tyrano Freightliner, and one (1) hydrogen fuel cell/plug-in electric zero-emission terminal tractor (ZETT), to be produced jointly by Vision and Capacity of Texas. Delivered on 22 July, the Tyrano will now carry out standard short-haul operations in the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. Read more »
Shell's third hydrogen station, the first on pipeline supply.
Shell has opened the United States’ first-ever pipeline-fed hydrogen fueling station. The Torrance, California station, a collaborative effort between Air Products (a gas and equipment supplier), Shell, Toyota, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and United States Department of Energy (DOE), will supply hydrogen for several automobile manufacturers’ fuel cell vehicles in the Los Angeles area. Read more »
English
Español