Air Products' newest hydrogen fueling station in Riverside, Calif. was busy filling hydrogen converted vehicles as the City of Riverside held a dedication ceremony officially declaring the station open. It is the second hydrogen fueling station Air Products has opened within a week as a station in Santa Ana, Calif. was dedicated on Jan. 26. These two stations are part of a five-city hydrogen fueling alternative energy demonstration program being implemented by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) where the respective cities involved will use Air Products' fueling technology to fuel electric hybrid Toyota Prius vehicles converted to be hydrogen capable by Quantum Technologies.

"These AQMD projects showcase the multiple hydrogen fueling technology options that we have to offer," said Dan Rabun, California hydrogen fuel business manager for Air Products. "At Riverside, the city is fueling vehicles at a permanent station, with hydrogen generated from on-site electrolysis-based hydrogen production, and at Santa Ana the city is using our mobile fueling product to deliver hydrogen produced by reformation technology. This five cities effort continues to grow our leadership position in hydrogen fueling in California."

At Riverside, Air Products' Series 200 system, a totally integrated vehicle fueling system, is providing the storage and dispensing of hydrogen to hydrogen-powered vehicles with internal combustion engines modified to burn gaseous hydrogen. This model station and proprietary technology provides customers flexibility in using hydrogen generated at the site, or delivered hydrogen, integrated with storage and vehicle dispensing capabilities. On-site hydrogen is provided to the fueling system from a production model HOGEN 6M Electrolyzer manufactured by Proton Energy Systems.

"Our ongoing work with Air Products and the South Coast Air Quality Management District continues to show how electrolysis technology can work in real world vehicle fueling applications," said Robert Friedland, senior vice president, Hydrogen Technology Group at Proton. "We are helping to demonstrate how using hydrogen as a motor fuel is becoming more and more practical for our nation's transportation needs"

At Santa Ana, Air Products' HF-150 mobile hydrogen fueler is being operated by the city to fuel another fleet of hydrogen converted vehicles. The HF-150 provides hydrogen for vehicle fueling from Air Products' nearby Wilmington, Calif. hydrogen plant.

Additional locations involved with the AQMD five cities effort that will dedicate and operate hydrogen fueling stations this year include Burbank, Santa Monica and Ontario. In all, the five stations will provide hydrogen to a fleet of 30 hydrogen burning internal combustion vehicles. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion vehicles, which meet the state's strictest emissions requirements, are considered a near-term bridge to longer-term future technologies including fuel cell vehicles. Near-zero emission vehicles including those powered by fuel cells are considered a key strategy to improving air quality in Southern California. The AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

The five cities program is aimed at stimulating demand for hydrogen fueling, accelerating the expansion of the region's hydrogen fueling network and educating the public on hydrogen-fueled vehicles.