LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- When Air
Products' (NYSE: APD) Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer John McGlade drove to work
this morning, he did so with an eye on the future and with the eyes
of a lot of fellow drivers watching him. As the top executive
for Air Products, the world's leading hydrogen provider, McGlade is
quite familiar with hydrogen's potential for leading the
transformation to cleaner energy. Today McGlade initiated a
hydrogen outreach program by traveling to work in an Air
Products-branded Chevrolet fuel cell vehicle. Powered by
hydrogen, the vehicle's only emission is water vapor.
"It is a quiet ride with more pep and acceleration than I
expected. It's been fun to see the reaction of other drivers
since the car's decals definitely catch your eye," said McGlade.
"We think the hydrogen economy can move from novelty to an
established alternative energy source. As the leader in
providing hydrogen and its fueling infrastructure, we want to do
our part to increase the public's awareness about advancements in
this technology."
Hydrogen fuel cells use only hydrogen for fuel and produce only
water vapor emissions. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells offer a
sustainable technology, leading to a cleaner environment.
"The use of hydrogen in fuel cell electric vehicles is a
great environmental story and provides society a sustainable energy
opportunity. From a business standpoint, we have a large
number of customers, suppliers and partners visit our headquarters.
There is no better way to talk about and demonstrate our
technology and hydrogen's capabilities than to have a vehicle, a
bus and a fueling station on-site," said McGlade.
The Air Products-branded fuel cell vehicle is an extension of
GM's highly successful "Project Driveway" program, which has
amassed more than 1.3 million miles of real-world driving. GM
launched a test fleet of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric
vehicles in New York City,
Washington, D.C., and Southern California in late 2007.
Project Driveway is the largest fuel cell transportation
demonstration in the world.
"As we move to a production-intent fuel cell system, there is
still a lot of value in strategically placing the current vehicles
with businesses like Air Products," said Charles Freese, GM executive director of Global
Fuel Cell Activities. "We look forward to the additional
learning that our business-to-business program yields."
The hydrogen-powered Chevy fuel cell electric vehicle at Air
Products' headquarters joins a hydrogen-powered shuttle bus that
has been operating on campus and as part of local community
outreach educational programs for nearly two years. Both
vehicles will fuel at the company's hydrogen fueling station, which
in 2008 hosted a nationwide road tour event and refueled the
hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles of seven automakers.
Details on Air Products' hydrogen fueling technologies are
provided at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.
Just as the bus is seen at community events and programs, the
Chevy fuel cell vehicle will also be part of outreach efforts led
by Air Products' employees. "People have a lot of questions
about hydrogen and fuel cells. They have heard about these
cars and read about the technology. What a better way to
rapidly increase learning than to have our employees, who
understand our role in the technology, be able to drive this
vehicle to work, to the grocery store, to schools, youth sporting
events and other public programs. Getting this vehicle to
these public places will generate the educational opportunity to
discuss this alternative energy technology," said David J. Taylor, vice president, Energy
Businesses at Air Products.
Air Products, the leading hydrogen supplier to refineries to
assist in making cleaner burning transportation fuels, has unique
experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. In fact, in
certain market applications, fueling rates of over 10,000 refills
per year are occurring. These applications provide an
opportunity to assess consumer experiences, evaluate product
performance and advance product improvements. The company has
placed over 110 hydrogen fueling stations in the United States and 18 countries
worldwide. Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts,
locomotives, planes, other material handling equipment, and even
submarines have been fueled with this trend-setting technology that
involves Air Products' know-how, equipment and hydrogen. Use of the
company's technology is increasing and is currently at 175,000
hydrogen fills per year.
Air Products has more than 50 years of hydrogen experience and
is on the forefront of hydrogen energy technology development.
Air Products has an extensive patent portfolio with over 50
patents in hydrogen dispensing technology. Air Products
provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen, and HCNG (hydrogen/compressed
natural gas) fueling, and has developed a variety of enabling
devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied
pressures. Hydrogen for these stations is delivered to a site
via truck, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion,
or by electrolysis, including electrolysis that is solar and wind
driven.
Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy,
technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio
of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance
materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940,
Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets
such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare
services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and
adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative
culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the
environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of
$8.3 billion, operations in over 40
countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more
information, visit www.airproducts.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements.
Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current
expectations.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Photos of Air Products Chairman,
President and CEO John McGlade with
the Air Products-branded fuel cell vehicle are available online in
the company's Press Room at
www.airproducts.com/PressRoom/CompanyNews/Archived/2010/14Apr2010.htm.
SOURCE Air Products