GM announces hydrogen infrastructure partnership for Hawaii
General Motors has announced a new partnership with The Gas Company (TGC) to bring a hydrogen fueling infrastructure to Hawaii. The partnership will see several hydrogen fueling stations established on the island of Oahu.
TGC already produces hydrogen along with synthetic natural gas, and will tap into its 1,000 mile utility pipeline system to establish fueling stations along the island Oahu.
"This is the type of enabler that a hydrogen transportation infrastructure needs because it addresses both the source of the hydrogen and a feasible way to deliver it for fuel cell vehicle use," said Charles Freese, executive director of GM Global Fuel Cell Activities. "The Hawaii infrastructure could eventually support tens of thousands of fuel cell vehicles."
The state of Hawaii plans to reduce its petroleum consumption by 70 percent over the next several years, with the new hydrogen infrastructure likely to play a key role in that target. However, there is currently only one hydrogen-powered vehicle on the island of Oahu - a modified Chevrolet Equinox that was involved in GM's Project Driveway initiative.
GM has a bit of a rough past when it comes to establishing hydrogen fuel stations, though, as a truck accident destroyed a hydrogen fuel pump and delayed the company's Project Driveway by several months.