Camp Pendleton Continues to Help Pave the Way for Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles

As the southernmost stop on California’s “hydrogen highway,” Camp Pendleton is contributing to the pool of scientific knowledge that could bring affordable hydrogen-powered vehicles to the general public in the next few years.

Under a program funded by the federal Department of Energy, the base has partnered with three private companies—General Motors, Ford and Quantum Technologies—to test hydrogen-powered vehicles. Currently, the base has four vehicles, including a 10-passenger mini-bus, two Chevrolet Equinoxes and a Ford Escape, that use hydrogen instead of gasoline.

The base also has a hydrogen filling station set up next to Interstate 5, which could one day be used by the public to refuel hydrogen vehicles.

“Part of it is to develop the refueling infrastructure and the other part is to get us away from petroleum fuel and our dependence on oil,” said Jim Seaman, fleet manager for Camp Pendleton, of the test program.

Data collected by the vehicles’ onboard computers is sent wirelessly to engineers at the three partner companies, who analyze the information and use it to refine the designs of their own hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Scott Brierley, a General Motors official based in Carlsbad, said data gathered from the Camp Pendleton demonstration project, as well as from Project Driveway, in which volunteer members of the public drove hydrogen-powered vehicles for two months, is valuable as the company works to create alternative-fuel vehicles for the commercial market.

Currently, the auto industry is targeting 2015 to have the first hydrogen-powered vehicles available for purchase by consumers, Brierley said.

Camp Pendleton has logged some 30,000 miles on hydrogen-powered vehicles over the past two to three years, officials said.

The base is testing two types of hydrogen vehicles. One type is operated by hydrogen fuel cells, which convert compressed hydrogen gas and oxygen to electricity, powering an electric motor. The only emission from the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is a fine water vapor from vents in the rear bumper.

The other type of vehicle has an internal combustion engine modified to burn hydrogen gas.

The Chevy Equinoxes on base use hydrogen fuel cells. The prototype vehicle is much quieter than a gasoline-powered automobile, accelerating smoothly without gear changes.

“They’re pretty much used the same as a gasoline vehicle as far as operations go,” said Seaman. The vehicles may be used by base personnel to get around for appointments or meetings, or to make deliveries of mail or other items.

Seaman oversees a fleet of 1,400 cars, trucks, SUVs and vans, which are used for all purposes other than military training or operations. The purpose of the fleet, he said, is to free up military vehicles for their primary tasks. The base vehicle fleet also includes vehicles that run on compressed natural gas.

The range of the Equinox is about 200 miles when fully fueled with hydrogen under a pressure of 10,000 pounds per square inch, said Brierley, less than the 300-400 mile range of gasoline-powered vehicles.

“The vehicles are remarkably reliable and well-suited for what Camp Pendleton uses them for,” Brierley said.

Brierley said hydrogen-powered vehicles are safe, both because of the strength of the reinforced cylinders holding the pressurized gas, which are built to withstand a crash, and because hydrogen gas dissipates quickly if the fuel tanks are punctured, rather than pooling up around the vehicle like gasoline.

The Marine Corps is looking at ways to expand its hydrogen fuel technology in such areas as powering forklifts, using a hydrogen fuel cell to extend the range of electric vehicles and using stationary generators powered by hydrogen fuel cells to provide electrical power for buildings, Seaman said. 

The main challenge to using the hydrogen-powered vehicles, said Seaman, is access to fuel. Currently, hydrogen gas is trucked to the base in pressurized cylinders.

The closest hydrogen refueling stations are in Orange County, said Seaman. “Going north is not a problem [but] going south and east is where we have to plan.”

In 2004, then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order laying out an ambitious plan for California to establish a network of hydrogen refueling stations dubbed the hydrogen highway. According the website of the state Air Resources Board, by the end of 2011 there will be eight public hydrogen stations in operation across the state, with others planned.

But significant technological challenges remain before hydrogen fuel cells replace gasoline-powered engines, said Laurance Beauvais, assistant professor of chemistry at San Diego State University.

Beauvais, who has conducted research on hydrogen storage, said hydrogen-powered vehicles do offer advantages, such as zero carbon emissions and a higher rate of energy efficiency than their internal combustion cousins.

Before hydrogen vehicles can flourish, however, the industry has to find a more environmentally friendly way to produce hydrogen fuel. Currently, he said, it is most commonly extracted from natural gas, a process which generates greenhouse gases.  Research is ongoing into other methods of producing hydrogen fuel, such as nuclear power and solar energy, Beauvais said.

Other issues include reducing the amount of platinum—a costly and rare metal—needed to make hydrogen fuel cells, increasing the number of hydrogen fueling stations, and increasing the capacity for hydrogen storage in vehicles, Beauvais said.

“I don’t think hydrogen will be mass-adopted any time soon,” Beauvais said.

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