LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Air
Products (NYSE: APD), the leader in hydrogen fueling technology,
today announced it has signed a contract with Sorensen Gross
Construction Services to build a hydrogen fueling station in
Flint, Michigan to fuel a hydrogen
fuel cell bus owned by Flint's
Mass Transportation Authority (MTA). The station, which will be
part of the MTA's alternative fuels test program, is to be onstream
in April 2012.
"This agreement continues to reinforce our leadership in the
evolution of mass transit," said Bob
Kelly, business development manager for Hydrogen Energy
Systems at Air Products. "Air Products has a proven record of
working with the mass transit industry and is selected for these
types of projects because of its technical capabilities in design
and, specifically, its record of executing major projects in a safe
and timely manner."
"Sorensen Gross is excited to be part of a team that will bring
the future of transportation fuel to our community. We are
particularly pleased to be collaborating with Air Products, the
MTA, and other team members in this endeavor as they are all
leaders in their fields who will bring great expertise to this
project," said Ghassan Saab, CEO at
Sorensen Gross.
Air Products will supply its hydrogen compression, storage and
dispensing technology to fuel the bus with hydrogen produced from
an electrolyzer provided by Proton OnSite. Details on Air Products'
portfolio of hydrogen fueling station technologies are provided at
www.airproducts.com/h2energy.
"Proton OnSite is pleased to be working with Air Products and
the MTA in Flint, Michigan to
showcase our industry leading, onsite hydrogen generation fueling
product," said Robert Friedland,
president and CEO of Proton OnSite. "This kind of joint public and
private enterprise involving global leaders in industrial gases and
onsite hydrogen generation, coupled with a forward-thinking transit
agency like Flint's MTA, is
crucial in helping the United
States move beyond fossil fuels. We want to help enable more
fueling options, those that are affordable, clean and reliable.
When commuters start riding this bus next spring, they will be
supporting a big step for Flint
and this country overall in terms of the available fuel
options."
Air Products has been involved in several recent mass transit
fueling projects. These include: fueling five new hydrogen fuel
cell powered buses that transport riders daily on the
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus system in
the San Francisco Bay Area in
California (2010); commissioning
its fueling station in London to
fuel a fleet of five hydrogen buses as part of the Transport for
London Project (2010), and the same station will fuel the first
fleet of London hydrogen taxis
planned for 2012; and fueling a fleet of more than 50 hydrogen fuel
cell shuttle vehicles that transported athletes and government
officials at the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Guangzhou City, China (2010). The China project was similar to Air Products
filling hydrogen buses at a fueling station in the Beijing Hydrogen
Park during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which marked the first
demonstration project for new-energy vehicles in China.
Air Products, the leading supplier of hydrogen to refineries to
assist in the production of cleaner burning transportation fuels,
has unique experience in the hydrogen fueling industry. These
varied fueling applications provide an opportunity to assess
consumer experiences, evaluate product performance and advance
product improvements. In fact, in certain market applications,
fueling rates at several individual sites of over 15,000 refills
per year are occurring. The company has placed over 120 hydrogen
fueling stations in the United
States and 19 countries worldwide. Cars, trucks, vans,
buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers,
material handling equipment, and even submarines have been fueled
with trend-setting technologies that involve Air Products'
know-how, equipment and hydrogen. Use of the company's technology
is increasing and is currently over 350,000 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 can be 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 2010, Air Products had revenues of
$9 billion, operations in over 40
countries, and 18,300 employees around the globe. For more
information, visit www.airproducts.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements
within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are
based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of
the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual
performance and financial results may differ materially from
projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking
statements because of many factors not anticipated by management,
including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its
fiscal year ended September 30,
2010.
SOURCE Air Products