BOARD MEETING DATE: December 1, 2006
AGENDA NO. 33

California Fuel Cell Partnership Steering Team Report and Quarterly Activity Report

SYNOPSIS:

This report summarizes the California Fuel Cell Partnership Steering Team meeting held October 24-25, 2006 and provides an activity report for July through September, 2006.\

COMMITTEE:

Technology, November 17, 2006, Reviewed

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Receive and file the attached report.

Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta
AQMD Representative to CaFCP
CaFCP Vice Chair

CALIFORNIA FUEL CELL PARTNERSHIP

Summary of Steering Team Meeting

October 24-25, 2006

CalEPA Building

1001 I Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Steering Team                                   

Representatives Attending: Steve Kukucha, Ballard

Bill Fitzharris, BP

Robert Sawyer, Analisa Bevan, CARB

Mike Trujillo, Peter Ward, CEC

John Brady, ChevronTexaco

Jurgen Fredrich, DaimlerChrysler

Robert Brown, Todd Suckow, Ford

Kichun Lee, Hyundai-Kia Motors

Ben Knight, Honda R& D America

Bob Cassidy, Nissan Motor

Phil Baxley, Shell Hydrogen

Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta, SCAQMD

Kyo Hattori,Toyota Motor Corporation

Sig Gronich, U.S. DOE 

Tim Klein, U.S. DOT

Dave Flanaghan, UTC

John Tillman, Volkswagen

(absent), General Motors

(absent), National Automotive Center

(absent), U.S. EPA

SUMMARY OF AGENDA ITEMS

• The Steering Team meeting was chaired by John Brady, Vice President Hydrogen Infrastructure, ChevronTexaco with Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta, Governor’s Appointee, SCAQMD Governing Board serving as Vice-Chair.
• Progress on achieving 2006 goals was reviewed. New vehicle placements continue, and buses were added to the miles accumulated total. Additional hydrogen stations opened in California, with more planned for next year as part of the CAH2Net. The CaFCP West Sacramento station continues to have more cumulative fueling events than any other station. Six stations are planned to be tested in California for hydrogen quality by the end of this year. The draft Station Accessibility report is being reviewed by Working Group teams and is expected to be provided to the Steering Team at the February Steering Team meeting. Facility planning for CaFCP activities in northern and southern California continues. The Safety team reports zero accidents.
  
  Road Rally started on October 4th along with the CaFCP announcement of goals for 2008-2012, at the Orange County (OC) Auto Show in Anaheim, including a public ride & drive on October 5th. A Training Workshop for first responders was held in cooperation with the State Fire Marshall’s office on October 6th. The “Festival of Speed” at the San Diego Naval Base was the final event of the Road Rally and was held October 6th through October 8th, with over 700 attendees who actually signed up and drove the FCVs. In addition, there was a “Passport” where each of the attendees earned a stamp for every station they attended, learning different aspects of FCVs and hydrogen.
• Sig Gronich, Tech Validation Manager at the U.S. DOE, provided an update on the FreedomCAR Technology Validation demonstration and transition strategies to commercialize fuel cell vehicles. A total of 63 FCVs are now in fleet demonstration. Nine of 20 DOE co-funded stations are now operating in four states, including California. Data collected is protected as confidential for five years, with NREL reporting composite program results. No major safety problems have been encountered.
• Kichun Lee, Hyundai-Kia, provided information about the Korean Fuel Cell Program planned to demonstrate up to 300 cars and 10 hydrogen fueling stations by 2008 and up to 3,500 vehicles and 50 hydrogen stations by 2012.
• John Mough, a chemist for the California Division of Measurement Standards, presented information about hydrogen quality in California. SB 76 requires California to adopt a consensus-based ANSI hydrogen quality standard when it becomes available, and adopt interim hydrogen standards by January 1, 2008. Therefore, a draft based on SAE J219 has been proposed, and comments will be incorporated and sent to the state Office of Administrative Law in January. WSPA and API have commented, but have not provided sufficient technical justification to deviate from the draft SAE consensus-based document.
• Members provided the following updates.
  John Brady, Vice President Hydrogen Infrastructure for ChevronTexaco, reported that their three hydrogen stations are on schedule. There is a natural gas reforming station at Hyundai in Chino, an electrolysis station at SCE in Rosemead, and a station serving the Ford hydrogen ICE shuttle bus at the Orlando Airport. BP has set a goal to break even providing hydrogen, but this is difficult with reformer based systems and no codes and standards for 700 bar refueling. Jurgen Friedrich, DaimlerChrysler, reported that they have accumulated over 2.5 million km on their fuel cell vehicles and 100,000 hours in operation. They need accessible infrastructure; of 13 stations operating in Southern California, DaimlerChrysler can use only four of them. They need access to 700 bar hydrogen refueling. Hyundai is focusing on DOE demonstration programs next year. They demonstrated a fuel cell bus in Munich. ZTek reported that they have two reformer stations; one with PG& E in San Carlos, and one with the Navy at Camp Pendleton. PGE indicated that they were awarded co-funding by CARB for a project with GTI at San Carlos.
• Following member presentations, a strategy discussion was held to discuss the synergies or issues regarding hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen combustion vehicle commercialization and CaFCP policies.
• Chris White, CaFCP Communications Director, reviewed the current CaFCP public messaging used at events and in response to questions from the public.
• Catherine Dunwoody, CaFCP Executive Director, presented a draft budget for 2007 including a proposal to add up to three new positions and options to increase funding to accomplish the proposed goals. After lengthy discussion, the budget was referred back to the Planning committee for further discussion to accomplish priority goals for 2007, including the Southern California presence and only adding staff with specific justification. Identify leveraging opportunities with Steering Team member organizations, possibly adding up to two temporary or utilizing in-kind staff for next year with the possibility of modestly increasing fees (5%) beginning in 2008.
• The Steering Team discussed and approved the revised Operating Protocols, reflecting Steering Team meetings reduced from four to three per year, three Planning committee meetings per year (one before each Steering team meeting), and standing committees of the Working Group dissolved to instead accomplish projects as needed.
• Current policy for refueling vehicles at CaFCP in West Sacramento remains unchanged based on review and recommendation from the Planning Committee. On-site members may fuel other “incidental” vehicles, but only fuel cell vehicles may participate in CaFCP events. Non CAFCP members will not be allowed to fuel.
• Every year, the CaFCP rotates leadership. Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta, SCAQMD, served as Vice-Chair of the CaFCP for 2006, and will serve as Chair in 2007. John Brady, ChevronTexaco, was thanked for his leadership as Chair this year. Jan van Dokkum, President of UTC Fuel Cells, was nominated by Vice Chair, Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta and unanimously elected as the CaFCP Vice-Chair for 2007.
• Adam Gromis, CaFCP staff, presented fleet implementation learnings which focused on barriers to implementing hydrogen stations. CaFCP members commented that visionary planning will be needed for ongoing implementation of hydrogen fueling and vehicle placements in California, not leading but building on DOE’s rollout strategies.
• After discussion, CaFCP members declined to invite CalStart to join CaFCP as an Associate member due to the fact that CalStart is a membership organization, and it has historically been the practice to engage other associations, such as NHA and USFCC as peer organizations. CalStart will be invited to present (as an invited speaker from a peer organization, but not to gain membership) at the next Steering Team meeting.
• Tim Klein, Senior Policy Advisor to the Administrator of US DOT, summarized $50 million FTA funding for National Fuel Cell Bus Projects announced recently at Sunline.

The next CaFCP Steering Team meeting is scheduled for February 20-21, 2007 in Diamond Bar.

Additional information about the California Fuel Cell Partnership can be found at http://www.fuelcellpartnership.org/.

Attachment (DOC 83.5 kb)
Quarterly Activity Report

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