Iceland Opens First Public Hydrogen Station

The world’s first ever Hydrogen filling station in Reykjavik, Iceland has now opened its doors to the general public. The filling station originally opened four years ago as part of a pilot project which introduced three Hydrogen powered buses to Reykjavik. The fueling station is now open to private vehicles and is part of a larger pilot project to introduce 40 Hydrogen cars into Reykjavik by the end of 2009.

The project, backed by the government, academics and private firms, is being realized through the work of Icelandic New Energy. As of this week, the fuelling station will also power 10 Toyota Prius Hydrogen cars that were given to three private companies. The general public as well as visitors to Iceland will also be able to test out the new Hydrogen cars as Hertz will be renting out three of the vehicles.

Iceland aims to be completely independent of fossil fuels by 2050 and its use of geothermal energy and hydroelectric power have already put the country well on its way to achieving this target. However, personal transportation, which is heavily based on private cars, remains the biggest challenge.

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2007/12/06/worlds-first-hydrogen-station-opens-to-public/

Norwegian Hydrogen World

Mazda and Hydrogen Road of Norway (HyNor) have announced that they will collaborate in the development of Hydrogen fuel and Hydrogen vehicles. As part of the colloboration, HyNor will purchase thirty Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicles making this the first time such vehicles have been sold outside of Japan.

Mazda has described the move as a big step in Mazda's Hydrogen vehicle development history and lauds Norway as being one of the countries closest to the realization of a Hydrogen energy society.

As part of the project, HyNor is looking to develop a Hydrogen energy infrastructure along a route of 360 miles (580km) from Oslo to Stavanger. The project envisions a Hydrogen world with buses, taxis, cars and other types of transport systems. Sounds like Norway might be one of the first countries to realize a Hydrogen Future.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=123351

Working Together to Test Hydrogen Technology

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are set to test Hydrogen fueling technologies in cold weather military applications. Through cooperative research and development agreements, the U.S. Army, Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) and Hyundai-Kia America will collaborate on the project set up at a state of the art facility located at the Selfridge Air National Guard (SANG) Base in Michigan.

The facility will initially power a fleet of five Hyundai Tucson fuel cell vehicles used by the Army and National Guard. The facility will utilize Chevron's proprietary advanced steam methane reforming technology to produce about 88 pounds (40kgs) of Hydrogen per day.

The SANG Base station is the fifth Hydrogen demonstration station commissioned by CTV. Each of the five stations features a different production technology to assess and determine the benefits of various production systems.

http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=3&storyid=6464

Hydrogen Honda Available Next Year

Honda has taken the motoring world by surprise by announcing at the Tokyo motor show that it will be putting the world’s first Hydrogen fuel cell car into production next year. The car will travel an estimated 270 miles at speeds of up to 100 mph and will produce only water vapor from its exhaust. It is expected to cost around $101,000 (£50,000) and will be available initially only in America and Japan.

The Hydrogen automobile will be unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show next month and is expected to closely follow the design of the FCX concept car with space for four passengers in its futuristic looking cabin. Instead of a fuel gauge the vehicle will have a range meter that tells you how far you can travel with the Hydrogen left in the tank. It is also expected to feature lithium-ion batteries to recover energy during braking and a gearless transmission.

This is truly incredible news especially given that previous estimates for a viable Hydrogen fuel cell car ranged from 10 years to 20 years in the future. Also, this vehicle will have a modest price tag which means the Hydrogen Honda will cost less than many exotic vehicles available now. The Hydrogen Future is coming sooner than we think.

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/features/article2744803.ece

Hydrogen Honda Is Here To Stay

Honda Motor Company has come out with a trial based Hydrogen fueled vehicle called the FCX Concept. During the debut of the vehicle Honda predicted a bright future for Hydrogen fuel cell cars, stating that mass production of such vehicles may happen within a decade.

Honda has stated that it is making significant efforts in the development of fuel cell vehicles with the hopes of bringing down the high price from $840,000 (more than 100 million yen) to below $87,700 (10 million yen) within the next ten years.

Honda also believes that there is no future for the auto history without Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles especially when other cleaner technology such as electric vehicles cannot go as far as needed without additional charging or a massive battery. After trying to mass produce electric vehicles three years ago Honda realized the technology was not enough and decided to pursue fuel cell technology instead.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/307388/1/.html

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

The Ultimate UAV

Korean scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a Hydrogen fuel cell powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The UAV weighs less than 4.5lbs (2kg) and is able to carry out a flight of over 10 hours with only one charge of its Hydrogen fuel cell.

According to the sceintists, the sodium borohydride used as the liquid fuel can produce more Hydrogen than Hydrogen gas and is also more convenient for commercialization. Furthermore, the Hydrogen fuel cell produces about 10 times more electricity that existing batteries.

http://www.avionews.com/index.php?corpo=see_news_home.php&news_id=1080690&pagina_chiamante=corpo%3Dindex.php

Riding On Hydrogen In New Zealand

As part of the Panasonic World Solar Challenge in Australian Steve Ryan is getting ready to drive more than 1,800 miles (3000km) from Darwin to Adelaide on a blend of waste oil and water. Mr. Ryan, the founder of New Zealand based Bios Fuel, will use an old 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser with nearly 250,000 miles (400,000km) on the odometer for the challenge.

Bios Fuel began in 1996 when Mr. Ryan started tinkering with an old motorcycle engine in his Auckland garage. Mr. Ryan's concept became a reality two years ago when he rode a 350cc motorcycle powered solely on water for the CBS television show 60 Minutes.

Mr Ryan says the water based fuel system he is using allows Hydrogen to be housed safely in water and released. Although it is blended with waste oil for lubrication and a bonding agent, ultimately the power comes from water. He says the fuel runs via a normal combustion system and that the delivery system is the key, which he says must remain under wraps.

It is great to see people like Mr. Ryan hard at work proving to skeptics that the possibility of creating a Hydrogen Future is here and now.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4235846a13.html

Hollywood Has Gone Hydrogen

Davis Guggenheim, the director/producer of the movie Inconvenient Truth has just been given a set of keys to long term test drive the BMW Hydrogen 7.

He joins a select group of people that have been keys to test drive this amazing vehicle for an extended period of time. Among them are comic Jay Leno and opera singer Plácido Domingo.

This is hopefully a good sign of things to come from BMW in terms of more of these revolutionary vehicles being made available to the masses. As more of these vehicles become common place for everyday drivers so does the reality of a Hydrogen Future.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122945#2

Hats Off To The Hydrogen Man

Mike Strizki of Hopewell, New Jersey has rigged his home to run on Hydrogen in the winter and solar power in the summer. This one of a kind home has zero public utilities bills and produces zero pollution. Not only does his house run on Hydrogen but so does his speed boat, car and even his golf cart.

To generate electricity all Mr. Strizki has to do is turn on a flow of water, which leads to an electrolyzer machine that splits the water into its component parts of Hydrogen and oxygen. The Hydrogen then feeds into oblong metal tanks that fuels his house, his vehicles and boat. The Hydrogen can be stored in pressurized tanks for months or even years and when needed is funneled into a Hydrogen fuel cell where, when recombined with oxygen, free electrons are created and captured in the form of electricity. At the end of the process the only byproduct is water which is fed right back into the electrolyzer, where the solar energy splits it into Hydrogen once again.

Hats off to Mr. Strizki and his wonderful set up! Although this system cost around $500,000 it is great to see that living in a Hydrogen Future is definitely possibly as Mr. Strizki is proof of it today.

http://www.theolympian.com/524/story/236061.html

Zoom Zoom SuPREMACY

Mazda has unveiled a new hybrid vehicle that runs on Hydrogen but can switch to gasoline if needed.

The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid also has a lithium-ion battery that drives the motor and recharges itself using energy from braking.

The vehicle will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month and will be available in Japan next year. For now it will only be available on lease from the factory at around $3,577 a month.

This Hydrogen/electric/gasoline hybrid is very intriguing and should do well as it can bridge the gap for now between gasoline vehicles and vehicles that run solely on Hydrogen.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3Y7kOunpk649M_zNkwQ4nV3ng0A

He Sells Hydrogen Hyundai's on the Sea Shore

Hyundai has unveiled its new Hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle called the i-Blue at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The company says that the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) is built on a car based crossover platform in what it calls a two plus two crossover utility vehicle (CUV).

Hyundai is confident that they have succeeded in designing a true Hydrogen fuel cell ZEV that still retains the comfort, convenience, safety and driving range of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle. The company is optimistic that it will begin mass production of the vehicle within the next decade.

Hopefully with all of their technology and ingenuity Hyundai will become successful in producing the Hydrogen fuel cells necessary for vehicles like the i-Blue without using any fossil fuels. This would position the company very well into the Hydrogen Future.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4217080a30.html