UB eco-friendlier with hydrogen cars

It may be a long time before current freshmen see their grandchildren driving in pollution-free hydrogen cars, but UB is already taking a step towards that future.

To meet federal and state laws, UB will be finalizing a deal this month to purchase two new hydrogen vehicles.

"The university feels strongly that we should be taking the lead in environmentally safe products," said John Hayes, assistant director of buildings and grounds.

Federal law requires that 75 percent of new purchases be alternatively fueled and energy efficient under the 1992 Environmental Protection Act. As a state agency, UB is required to follow that act.

In addition to federal law, an executive order from Gov. George Pataki requires state agencies to purchase light duty vehicles that are 100 percent energy efficient by the year 2010.

There are currently 56 compressed-natural gas vehicles in the UB fleet and three hybrid vehicles. American Wind Power and Hydrogen will supply the converted hydrogen Toyota Prius sedans through a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

As part of the $500,000 grant, American Wind Power and Hydrogen will provide the hydrogen fueling station and fuel to UB. There will be no cost to the university for the vehicles, except regular repair and maintenance and power to run the fueling station, expected to arrive in spring 2006.

"These little up-start programs are to develop a base for hydrogen vehicles and to begin developing an infrastructure," said Hayes.

"It's the old egg and chicken story. Which came first?" Hayes added. "If you have a car but no fueling station, what good is it? Likewise, if you have a fueling station but no car, what good is it?"

The project is one of several that have sprung up following President Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address that announced the hydrogen fuel initiative.

"New York State was chosen because of the renewable power from Niagara Falls," said Raymond Kenard, president of American Wind Power and Hydrogen. "SUNY Buffalo has a unique source in renewable energy, a tremendous source of power that doesn't require use of any fuels."

Although the government has partnered with universities and industries to further the development of gasoline-free, hydrogen technology, it remains new and expensive with no clear picture yet on whether the nation can make a viable transition from oil to hydrogen.

The current focus for vehicle demonstration is at select universities, mass transit systems and airports that have a large concentration of ground vehicles capable of one-spot hydrogen refueling.

"This will say to people, 'Yes, you can have a vehicle that runs on hydrogen. Yes, it does run well,'" Hayes said.

The major appeal of hydrogen vehicles is the potential for a cleaner environment. Unlike gasoline, hydrogen doesn't release carbon pollutants when it's burned. The only byproduct is water, eliminating fuel pipe emissions, which would in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

There are currently two types of hydrogen vehicles being developed, fuel cell and the internal combustion hydrogen vehicles UB will receive. Quantum Technologies in California will convert the engines of both sedans to run on hydrogen.

American Wind Power and Hydrogen officials see internal combustion hydrogen as a bridge with more realistic costs for introducing hydrogen-run cars to the public.

"It's expensive because it's done by hand, but it is only 10 percent the cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which is over $1 million," said Charlie Pratt, an attorney at American Wind Power and Hydrogen.

"There's fuel cell demonstration running buses or cars, but no commercialization yet," said Nabil Nasar, director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing at the Rochester Institute of Technology. "They need to work on the cost and some of the technical challenges."

Nasar is currently experimenting with hydrogen fuel cells at nearby RIT.

"Fuel cost is going up dramatically, so some people are saying a hydrogen market may come sooner than expected," he said.

But Mike Haselkorn, a researcher at RIT, said hydrogen is not easy to make.

"If regular gasoline stays within the price it is now, it doesn't have a chance," he said. "Hydrogen is expensive right now."

And there may also be problems unique to internal combustion hydrogen vehicles.

"You're going to get a different wear in parts, increased wear, reduced reliability," said Haselkorn, who previously designed diesel engines at Caterpillar, Inc.

Other problems relate to production, storage and transport. Current vehicle storage systems don't meet the standard driving range of most consumers, and alternatively fueled cars are more expensive. Early adopters pay the higher prices manufacturers charge to cover research and development costs.

"A $15,000 van now costs $20,000," Hayes said. "And what you save in gas costs doesn't offset the increased value of the vehicle. There are monetary expenses that have to be paid if you don't meet the standards."