Full tank of gas

A blue, Nissan X-Trail sport-utility vehicle drove off without a sound after being the first vehicle to fill its tank at the brand new hydrogen fueling station at UC Irvine, where more than 100 project collaborators, government officials and associates gathered to celebrate the facility’s grand opening Tuesday morning.

With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District, UCI’s National Fuel Cell Research Center and Air Products, an international corporation that distributes gases and chemicals for industrial use, engineered and installed the station at the corner of Jamboree Road and Campus Drive.

“This research and this technology are the epitome of addressing global climate change,” said Scott Samuelsen, director of UCI’s National Fuel Cell Research Center. “The next step is researching the generation of hydrogen because it has to come from somewhere, and we want to make sure it comes from the most environmentally responsible and energy efficient source.”

As an alternative to gasoline, hydrogen fuel generates zero or very-low emissions of water vapor and is produced from natural gas and other non-petroleum sources, giving it the potential to curb the world’s reliance on oil. The research center estimates there are between 60 and 100 hydrogen-powered vehicles in operation in Orange County, one of which is driven by Irvine Mayor Beth Krom, who spoke at the event.

Compared with other alternative energy vehicles, such as electric cars, hydrogen is the “ultimate fuel,” Samuelsen said.

The auto industry is waiting until the technology matures and the proper infrastructure is in place to support hydrogen-powered automobiles before making them available on a grand scale, which he expects will occur around 2015.

Wayne Nastri, a regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said the Bush administration is committed to weaning the nation off petroleum as an energy resource, and that Tuesday’s event marked an important moment in the transition toward a hydrogen economy.

“With hydrogen, you can have the transportation so many Americans want, and you can do it in a clean way,” he said. “This event represents a vision of cleaner energy and a way we can continue to maintain economic competitiveness and still protect the environment.”

With 23 hydrogen fueling stations operating in the state, the UCI location is the first in California capable of dispensing hydrogen in a gaseous state at both 350 and 700 bar, or 5,000 and 10,000 pounds per square inch, respectively. Fueling at the higher pressure enables vehicles with the proper technology to increase its miles per tank.

Project developers are planning for the addition of a unit that would dispense hydrogen in liquid form, which takes up significantly less space.

Four hydrogen-powered vehicles were on site Tuesday, including the BMW Hydrogen 7 and the Honda FCX, as Steven Hoffman, Air Products project manager, demonstrated the fueling process for attendees.

Now open to authorized users trained in its operation, the facility resembles a commercial gasoline dispenser and can dispense 25 kilograms of hydrogen per day, enough for five to 10 fill-ups with vehicle tanks ranging from a two- to four-kilogram capacity. Additionally, the disperser is able to monitor tank temperature and pressure during the fueling process as a safety precaution.

On its four-kilogram tank, the Honda FCX can travel about 210 miles.

For now, hydrogen fuel prices range from about $2 to $8 per kilogram, Hoffman said, though prices will likely fall as the technology grows. The UCI station offers the fuel at about $5 per kilogram.