March 2007

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Another Hydrogen Station in California: Air Products and the University of California, Irvine unveiled a new hydrogen fueling station on the university’s campus late last month. The new station dispenses gaseous hydrogen at both 5,000 and 10,000 psi (350 and 700 bar), and a cryogenic liquid hydrogen dispenser is planned to be added later. The station can claim a couple of Firsts: the first one sited in public view and available to a wider public, in this case authorized users participating in the U.S. Energy Department’s multi-year California Hydrogen Infrastructure Structure Project (CHIP) in collaboration with carmakers Toyota, Honda, BMW and Nissan; and it’s the first in the United States with the ability to dispense fuel at different pressures. The station is equipped with non-interchangeable fueling nozzles which reduce the potential for user error, and it can refuel five to 10 vehicles per day, depending on the vehicles’ fuel storage capacity. The dispensing station is computerized, and refueling takes about three to six minutes. The National Fuel Cell Research Center at UCI operates the station which was designed and installed by Air Products with funding from DoE and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Contact: Air Product, Art George, 610/481-1340; georgeaf@airproducts.com.