California Fuel Cell Partnership Adds New Partners
27 January 2000
California Fuel Cell Partnership Adds New Partners
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 26 -- The California Fuel Cell
Partnership today announced the addition of new partners to its team who will
add value and expertise to the push to commercialize fuel cell electric
vehicles.
The Partnership -- which formally began in April 1999 -- includes auto
manufacturers (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda and Volkswagen); energy providers
(ARCO, Shell, and Texaco); a fuel cell company (Ballard Power Systems); and
the State of California (Air Resources Board and the California Energy
Commission).
Joining those partners is the U.S. Department of Energy (http://www.ott.doe.gov)
who will work with the state government partners to provide insight into
identifying and resolving potential technical and infrastructure barriers for
fuel cell-powered cars and buses. DOE will also help secure needed resources.
DOE's office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will be involved in the
Partnership.
The Partnership has also added new associate partners -- entities who
bring specific expertise to aid in fuel, vehicle, and bus demonstration
activities. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. of Allentown, Pennsylvania
(http://www.airproducts.com); Linde AG (http://www.Linde.com/Linde-Gas), headquartered in
Germany; and Praxair (http://www.praxair.com) of Danbury, Connecticut. The companies
will assist the energy partners with hydrogen fuel infrastructure needs,
particularly at the Partnership's Sacramento-area facility. All are global
industry leaders in the production, distribution and technology of industrial
gases, and all have experience developing or providing hydrogen fuel delivery
systems for vehicle manufacturers.
Additional associate partners are the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit
District (AC Transit, http://www.actransit.org), which operates a fleet of 700 public
transit buses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and SunLine Transit Agency
(http://www.sunline.org) which operates a fleet of 50 alternative-fueled buses in the
Palm Springs area of southern California. Notable for their interest in
advancing alternative-fueled buses, these transit agencies were invited to
serve as test sites for the first phase of the Partnership's bus demonstration
program. As part of that effort, next year each agency will acquire two fuel
cell-powered buses and include them in regular revenue service on scheduled
routes throughout their service areas. By 2003, the Partnership plans to
deploy up to twenty fuel cell-powered buses.
"We're pleased to welcome these new partners and the wide range of fuel
cell experience they bring to the table," said John Wallace, Chairman of the
Partnership's Steering Committee and Executive Director of TH!NK Group, an
enterprise of Ford Motor Company. "This will bolster our efforts here in
California to demonstrate fuel cell vehicles and alternative fuel
technologies, as well as heighten public awareness."
For more information about the California Fuel Cell Partnership, please
contact any of the company spokespersons listed below:
CA Fuel Cell Partnership Joe Irvin 916-600-2564
CA Air Resources Board Jerry Martin 916-322-2990
CA Energy Commission Claudia Chandler 916-654-4989
ARCO Cheryl Burnett 562-590-4493
Ballard Debby Harris 604-412-4740
DaimlerChrysler
USA: Ann Smith 248-512-6502
Germany: Annette Kliem +49-711-17-93271
Ford Glenn Ray 313-248-5994
Honda Art Garner 310-783-3163
Shell
USA: Kitty Borah/ 713-241-4544
Stacy Hutchinson
London: Cerris Tavinor +44-171-934-3045
Texaco Tyra Metoyer 713-752-4784
Volkswagen Tony Fouladpour 248-340-5064
New Partner:
U.S. Department of Energy Tom Welch 202-586-5806
New Associate Partners:
AC Transit Jaimie Levin 510-891-7244
SunLine Transit Agency Tracy Daly 760-343-3456
Air Products Venki Raman 610-481-8336
Linde Rolf Trill, in Germany: (0 89) 74 46-1465
Praxair Hope Dipierro 203-837-2573
The California Fuel Cell Partnership (http://www.drivingthefuture.org) is a
voluntary effort to advance a new automotive technology that could move the
world toward practical and affordable environmental solutions. The Partnership
will demonstrate fuel cell-powered electric vehicles under real day-to-day
driving conditions; will demonstrate the viability of an alternative fuel
infrastructure technology; explore the path to commercialization; and increase
public awareness of fuel cell electric vehicles. The Partnership will place
over 50 fuel cell passenger cars and fuel cell buses on the road between 2000
and 2003.