Hybrid Living

GM has announced that is partnering with Hawaii utility The Gas Company to develop hydrogen fueling infrastructure on the island of Oahu.

The utility produces hydrogen along with synthetic natural gas.  Through this partnership, it will tap into its pipelines, separate the hydrogen from the natural gas and deliver it to fueling stations where it can be used by fuel cell cars.  GM says that because the hydrogen fuel will be delivered through existing infrastructure, it could be priced equally to or less than gasoline.

GM is essentially using Hawaii as a testing ground for ramping up its production and testing of fuel cell cars.  The company is working on a fuel cell system that could be ready for commercialization by 2015 and this pilot project will help pave the way for its launch.

This project is great for Hawaii too as the island state is an ideal location for fuel cell cars for a few reasons:  it has an abundant source of hydrogen fuel, it has a great need for a clean alternative to petroleum (it currently imports oil for 90 percent of its energy needs) and the state has made commitments to reduce petroleum use and to get 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

via GM