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Bush administration outlines more funding for hydrogen fuel cells

Publication Date:24-January-2006
05:15 PM US Eastern Timezone 
Source:Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Tuesday it woould provide
$119 million in funding for research into hydrogen fuel cells, touting
the automotive technology as a way to reduce the nation's dependence on
foreign oil. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, touring the Washington
Auto Show, said the money would fund projects to help overcome some of
the barriers "in getting technology out of the laboratory and out onto
the test track."

"We are well past the point where we see that it can be done, and now
we're at the point of figuring out how it can be done - affordably and
safely," Bodman said.

The funding is part of President Bush's $1.7 billion hydrogen research
program, first detailed in 2003. The government and automakers have
been working to develop vehicles powered by pollution-free hydrogen
fuel cells, which could reduce demand for imported oil while cutting
greenhouse gas emissions.

Many obstacles remain - fuel cell vehicles are extremely expensive to
produce and lack an infrastructure of fueling stations to make them
viable. The government has said it hopes hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
will be available in car showrooms by 2020.

The Energy Department would provide up to $100 million during the next
four years for research projects to improve various components of fuel
cell systems, with the goal of improving performance and lowering cost
by 2010.

Another $19 million will be devoted toward a dozen research projects
looking at the components involved in using hydrogen to create
electricity. The projects will be conducted in Arizona, Colorado,
Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Bodman also released guidelines for identifying and overcoming some of
the technical challenges facing the industry. Some of the challenges
include the reducing the cost of hydrogen production and fuel cell
systems, improving the durability of the systems and increasing the
capacity of onboard hydrogen storage.
 

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