Hydrogen fuel cell car does 1200 miles/gal!

A Scottish-built eco-friendly car, The BOC Gh2ost, will be displayed at a showcase as part of a key hydrogen energy meeting in the United States.

A Scottish-built eco-friendly car, The BOC Gh2ost, will be displayed at a showcase as part of a key hydrogen energy meeting in the United States.

The hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle, which can travel up to 1,200 miles on the equivalent of one gallon of petrol, will be featured at this week's International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy Ministerial Meeting at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The 100kg car, which emits only water as a combustion by-product, won the Best Renewable Energy Vehicle award in this year's Shell Eco-Marathon Challenge at the Grampian Transport Museum in Scotland.

"Supporting the development of the Gh2ost expanded BOC's already extensive knowledge of hydrogen technology, particularly the safe use of high-pressure gases in mobile applications.

We are confident that projects like this demonstrate the superior energy efficiency of fuel cell technology and the practical use of hydrogen as a fuel," said John Carolin, BOC's global director of hydrogen energy.

The car was built by siGEN, who are based in Aberdeen, Scotland, the country's foremost fuel cell company, and Kenny Stewart, who has extensive experience of constructing ultra lightweight eco-marathon cars.

They built the car as a test platform for future hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles.

"BOC supplies a full range of products and services to emerging hydrogen energy markets across the globe, we participate in demonstration projects, we support the development of new technologies, we create innovative customer solutions, and we invest in new ventures.

In addition to the Gh2ost, BOC also is featuring at IPHE our existing hydrogen infrastructure and capabilities and hydrogen energy-specific projects," Carolin said.

BOC is a leader is supporting hydrogen energy projects around the world.

The company: * Is a silver member of the California Hydrogen Business Council, a non-profit group that links hydrogen-technology developers, businesses, energy leaders, government, and infrastructure providers.

* Is a member of the board of directors of the National Hydrogen Association, a membership organization of industry, university, research and small business members that is leading the transition to a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure.

* Participates in the Compressed Hydrogen Infrastructure Program, a 700-bar hydrogen fuelling demonstration in Surrey, British Columbia.

* Has an equity stake in the Burnaby, British Columbia-based QuestAir Technologies, which has developed proprietary gas purification technology that is being applied to industrial hydrogen production and stationary and automotive fuel cells.

* Is a member of the board of directors of Fuel Cells Canada, a non-profit industry association aimed at accelerating Canada's fuel cell and hydrogen industry.

* Is a member of the Chrysalix Energy Limited Partnership, a venture capital firm that focuses on fuel cell and related fueling technology companies.

Chrysalix is a private equity joint venture between Ballard Power Systems, BASF Venture Capital, The BOC Group, The Boeing Company, Duke Energy, Mitsubishi Corporation and Shell Hydrogen.

* BOC is working with BP to supply hydrogen for a fleet of fuel cell buses which will begin operational field trials around London in the UK from late 2003 and Perth in Australia from 2004.

The trials are part of a global project into hydrogen fuel cell technology aimed at developing an environmentally 'clean' public transport system.

The International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy (IPHE) Ministerial meeting is bringing together energy ministers from 15 countries to discuss common areas of interest in, and obstacles to, the hydrogen economy in the fields of research, development and demonstration projects, hydrogen policy and regulation, and the commercialization of hydrogen based energy technologies.

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