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To: WALT REISCH who wrote (7654)	4/21/2004 5:19:54 PM
From: Krowbar	Respond to of 8393

Governor promises push for hydrogen fuel Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Wednesday, April 21, 2004 Davis -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, pushing to radically change the cars Californians drive, announced Tuesday an ambitious plan to line the state's highways with hydrogen fueling stations in just six years and usher in an age of more environmentally friendly vehicles. Schwarzenegger pledged to champion hydrogen as a replacement for gasoline, promising a not-so-distant future in which the much-hyped technology is available along most of the state's main roadways. He called on academic experts, the auto industry and the government to work together on a hydrogen infrastructure plan that would create as many as 200 fueling stations up and down the state at an expected cost of $100 million. If successful -- and many have doubts -- it would be a profound transportation transformation. Some Tuesday compared it to the country's move from the horse and buggy to the Model T in the last century..... ....After fueling up Tuesday, Schwarzenegger signed an executive order calling for his Environmental Protection Agency secretary, Terry Tamminen, to draw up a blueprint for the so-called "Hydrogen Highway Network'' by January. Tamminen will examine everything from how to finance the network to where the 200 stations will be located. There are 17 existing fueling sites, including the one at UC Davis. Tamminen noted oil companies like Conoco and ChevronTexaco had expressed interest in including a hydrogen pump at California gas stations. Tamminen will explore public financing options, including a bond issue. California is also expects to get some federal money when hydrogen grants are announced within the next few weeks, Tamminen said. There are about 60 hydrogen-powered vehicles in operation in the state now. In the Bay Area, the city of San Francisco recently began leasing two such cars from Honda, and AC Transit uses a hydrogen-powered bus along routes in Oakland and Berkeley. Experts believe it will take policy-makers' commitment to infrastructure to spur automakers to invest in mass production of hydrogen-powered cars. "It's a chicken-and-egg problem at this point,'' said Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis. The institute is a worldwide leader in exploring the use of alternative fuels. An official with Honda said Schwarzenegger's pledge was crucial. "This type of government initiative will put the fuel on the road while we put the rubber on the road,'' said Stephen Ellis, manager of alternative fuel vehicles for Honda. Ellis said Honda was probably 10 years away from producing a hydrogen-powered car for mainstream consumers, however. sfgate.com f=/c/a/2004/04/21/HYDROGEN.TMP