CHICAGO, Nov 17, 2008 /PRNewswire
The British Midlands Development Corporation today announced that the
University of Birmingham has unveiled a fleet of hydrogen powered cars,
making it the only university in the UK to run a fleet of vehicles powered
in this way.
The cars are pollution free, virtually silent in operation, can travel up to
100 miles on a full tank of hydrogen and at speeds up to 50 miles per hour.
The vehicles are being used as part of a study by the University's School of
Chemical Engineering to find out more about the viability of hydrogen in
transport applications.
Birmingham engineers will be comparing the hydrogen powered vehicles with
the University's own fleet of petrol, diesel and pure 'electric' vehicles so
that they can learn more about their efficiency and performance. The
researchers will determine how these vehicles need to be adapted in order to
make hydrogen an attractive and cost effective option as a future fuel.
Professor Kevin Kendall, lead investigator for the project and head of the
University's Fuel Cells Group, said, 'The cars will now start to carry out
tasks on the campus, including postal deliveries, recycling of materials and
duties around the estate. This will enable us to test the car components for
reliability, get the cars road-legal and confirm their efficiency and cost
effectiveness.'
The cars will utilise a hydrogen gas fuelling station, specially designed by
Pennsylvania based Air Products, which comprises an integrated compression,
hydrogen storage and dispensing system, and is optimised to fuel up to six
vehicles per day. Minimal onsite utilities are required for the fueller,
which can be easily moved from site to site, making it ideal for hydrogen
fuelling start up stations.
The Birmingham hydrogen re-fuelling station is part of a cluster being set
up across the region by the British Midlands Hydrogen Forum. Known as the
Midlands Hydrogen Ring, the stations will be at the heart of hydrogen
fuelling infrastructure planned throughout the region, enabling real life
hydrogen vehicle trials. A second station is already operational at
Loughborough University and the roll-out of further sites includes vehicle
testing centers, an airport, a visitor attraction and eventually the open
road.
The British Midlands is also home to the headquarters of the Energy
Technologies Institute (ETI), a new $1.8 billion UK national institute
established to speed up the deployment of new low-carbon energy technologies
and promote international technology collaboration, whilst CENEX, the UK's
first National Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cells, is
working with the UK automotive supply chain to explore the potential of low
carbon technologies.
"The British Midlands is one of Europe's major hubs for the development of
low-carbon technologies," said Vern Sebby, President and CEO of British
Midlands Development Corporation, "The region's 18 universities have an
excellent track record for the generation and successful commercialization
of new ideas and for working in collaboration with industry."
About British Midlands Development Corporation
The British Midlands Development Corporation is the North American economic
development agency for central England. The Midlands region is located just
one hour to the north of London and includes the major commercial centers of
Birmingham, Nottingham, Coventry and Northampton.
As an agency funded by the UK Government, The British Midlands Development
Corporation provides specialist advice and support to North American
companies seeking to establish a presence or expand a current operation in
the region.
The British Midlands Development Corporation is based in Chicago with branch
offices in Boston, Washington, DC and San Jose.
For more information, please visit our website at www.thebritishmidlands.com.
SOURCE British Midlands Development Corporation
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