Nissan X-trail FVC

As the convoy of cars approaches, nothing seems out of the ordinary until as they get nearer, you realize that the only sound emanating from the group is the hum of their wheels on the pavement. With no combustion engine on board, the 11 hydrogen powered vehicles that stopped in Chester last week were not only emission-friendly, but noise-pollution-friendly as well.

The caravan of hydrogen-fueled vehicles made a stop at Gateway Hyundai on Friday while on a national tour organized by the National Hydrogen Association, the California Fuel Cell Partnership, and the U.S. departments of transportation and energy.

“The ride was smooth and quiet, and it was just a wonderful feeling,” said H. Carter Myers III, CEO of Carter Myers Automotive Group, owners of Gateway Hyundai, Colonial Honda, and Heritage Chevrolet. “It’s not only the lack of pollution that is important, but that with this technology we’re not held captive by the rest of the world.”

Myer’s dealership had only one of its suppliers represented in the group. A Hyundai Tucson hydrogen model was available for a test drive, but the General Motors and Honda hydrogen concept cars had been shipped back to California the day before the cars arrived in Chester.

Michael Allen, director of public affairs for VADA (Virginia Automobile Dealers Association) said the cars had been sold to someone in California.

The concept cars cost up to $1 million each to develop, said Brian Johnson, a technician that was traveling with the Nissan vehicle. He explained how the hydrogen gas is converted to electricity in a fuel cell, which then runs an electric motor powering the drive train of the vehicle. The fuel cell, hydrogen tank, and electric motor took no more space than a regular combustion engine system.

According to Johnson, hydrogen vehicle are on the road today, mostly in California, but he expects to see quite a number of the alternative fuel cars rolling local highways by 2015. “This type of car will not be an all-at-once conversion. I see a time when we will have a number of different types of fuels powering vehicles: gasoline-electric hybrids, electric, ethanol, and hydrogen powered cars may all share the highway at some point.” He says it will take some time for automobiles to evolve from gasoline to alternative fuels because there are so many on the road. Currently, 250 million automobiles are registered in the U.S.

Infrastructure is a major deterrent to the hydrogen movement. While there are over a million miles of oil and fuel pipeline in the U.S. today, there are only 700 miles of pipeline suitable for the transmission of hydrogen gas. Air Products and Chemical Inc. provided the hydrogen for the cars on the tour. A tank truck carries the hydrogen fuel for the cars. A prototype fueling hose and connection mechanism on board shows that fueling would be as simple and safe as self-service gasoline is today.

“As far as how soon these vehicles will be a regular sight on the road, it’s like the chicken and the egg. As some infrastructure is put in place, you will see hydrogen cars, and then as we get more hydrogen cars, more fueling stations will be built. It will be market-driven,” said Thomas ODonoghue, chief counsel for the U.S. department of transportation’s research and innovation technology division.

The cost of hydrogen would be similar to what gasoline is currently. According to the Hyundai technician who accompanied this reporter on a test drive, one kilogram of hydrogen would cost between $3 and $4, and hydrogen-powered vehicles would get about 40 to 50 mpg. Although there would not be huge economic savings, since hydrogen produces zero pollutants the savings are environmental, and, as Myers says, political, relieving the U.S. of its dependence on foreign oil.

Will these hi-tech rides be on showroom floors in Chester anytime soon? “We look at the future, but have to worry more about what is happening today,” said Myers. “But one thing I’ll say that is encouraging: every time a customer trades in an old car for a new one, we’re making progress. The average age of a car right now is nine years. Each time one of those leaves the road, our average mileage goes up.”

mfausz@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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