Air Liquide to Supply Portable Hydrogen Fueling Systems to General Motors in the U.S.

PARIS--Regulatory News:

Using hydrogen as a vector of energy is a promising alternative fuel solution for motor vehicles. Used in a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen in the air to produce electricity to power the vehicle, with water as the only emission.

Air Liquide (Paris:AI) is committed to enabling the hydrogen energy infrastructure. Working closely with partners in the private and public sectors, Air Liquide is helping to move hydrogen energy technologies from the drawing board to the real world. The Group is actively developing the entire hydrogen energy supply chain, from producing hydrogen, to making fuel cells, to developing solutions to distribute hydrogen to end users.

Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC has been selected to supply five, 700-bar, portable fast-fill hydrogen fueling systems to General Motors in the U.S. General Motors (GM) will also have an option to acquire two additional systems. The systems will be built in North America, with proprietary engineering designs from Air Liquide’s Advanced Technologies teams, and should be operational by the end of 2007.

This is Air Liquide’s second collaboration with GM related to hydrogen as energy. Air Liquide is also working with GM in Canada, having installed a fueling system at GM’s Cold Weather Testing site for hydrogen vehicles, in Kapuskasing, Ontario.

Pierre Dufour, Executive Vice-President of Air Liquide Group, and president and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. stated: “This agreement with General Motors is one of the ways in which Air Liquide is contributing to advance the use of hydrogen as a source for energy and as an alternative solution to fuel the vehicles of the future. We are very pleased to be collaborating with General Motors on this project.”

Air Liquide Advanced Technologies

Air Liquide Group’s Advanced Technologies division develops competencies and know-how in high technology domains: space, ultra-low temperature cryogenics, aeronautics, gas engineering, hydrogen as energy. This division employs 750 people in Europe and the United States.

With over 40 years’ expertise in the hydrogen business and in line with its commitment to sustainable development, Air Liquide is a major partner in numerous international hydrogen energy projects in Europe, Japan and North America. Air Liquide considers it has a responsibility as a world leader to open up new markets and introduce scientific and technological innovation in society.

With nearly 37,000 employees in 72 countries, Air Liquide is a world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services. The Group offers innovative solutions based on constantly enhanced technologies and produces air gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases…) and many other gases including hydrogen. The Group contributes to the manufacturing of many everyday products: bubbles in sparkling beverages, protective atmosphere for packed foods, oxygen for hospitals and homecare patients, ultra-pure gases for the semiconductor industry, hydrogen to desulfurize fuels...

Air Liquide is committed to sustainable development and helps to protect life. Founded in 1902, Air Liquide has successfully developed a long-term relationship with its shareholders built on trust and transparency and guided by the principles of corporate governance. Since the publication of its first consolidated financial statements in 1971, Air Liquide has posted strong and steady earnings growth. Sales in 2006 totaled 10,949 million euros, with sales outside France accounting for almost 80%. Air Liquide is listed on the Paris stock exchange and is a component of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices (ISIN code FR 0000120073).