Going Postal Over Hydrogen

General Motors (GM) has delivered a Hydrogen powered Chevrolet Equinox to an Irvine, CA post office that will be one of two locations nationwide to test the vehicle. The Hydrogen vehicle will be used to deliver mail to Irvine residences and businesses, putting the fuel cell technology through tough, daily workouts. The goal is to help GM refine the technology and, hopefully, make petroleum powered cars a thing of the past.

Fuel cell vehicles have been in use by the U.S. Postal Service since 2004. The GM HydroGen3 fuel cell vehicle was tested in Northern Virginia starting in 2004 and in Irvine starting in 2006 with both test drive programs ending in 2007. The programs helped GM refine the technology of its fourth generation fuel cell vehicle.

Although GM is on track to develop and finalize the vehicle's propulsion system by 2010 it won't start selling the cars until a Hydrogen fueling infrastructure is in place nationwide, making the gas widely available.

There are about 70 hydrogen fueling stations nationwide with California leading the way with 25 of them. Although just two of them are available to the public, including one at UC Irvine, operated by the National Fuel Cell Research Center, and the other in west Los Angeles. A third is however set to open at LAX this fall.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fuel-cell-vehicle-2103142-technology-irvine?slideshow=1

So You Think You Can Drive?

As a part of their Project Driveway Program, General Motors Corporation is launching an online research community whereby members will have a chance to test drive the Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle. You have to live or work in the metropolitan New York City, Washington, D.C. or southern California area and sign up on their website to become eligible to test drive this Hydrogen powered vehicle.

The first group of eligible test drivers will be identified in the fall of 2007, with the first mainstream driver vehicles available after the New Year. The program will stretch over a three year period with several hundred people getting a chance to test drive one of the Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of vehicles, not all online community members will become Project Driveway drivers.

Although Chevrolet seems to refer to this vehicle as being more of an electric vehicle than a Hydrogen powered vehicle, this program is a still good start as it will hopefully bring awareness to all of the possibilities that Hydrogen has to offer.

www.chevrolet.com/fuelcell