Press Releases
President Bush visits Shell's Benning Road hydrogen station
25/05/2005
President George W. Bush visited Shell's Hydrogen Station in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 25, 2005. President Bush met with Shell and other energy and auto industry executives and observed the refueling of a GM fuel cell vehicle.
Upon arrival at the station, President Bush met with Executive Committee member Linda Cook, who said, "Shell was privileged to host President Bush at Benning Road. The presidential visit today was recognition that not only is Shell a leader in hydrogen, but we are also a leader in ensuring a diversity of energy sources to the United States, an effort that also includes developing LNG terminals, which will be an important source of gas for hydrogen production in the future. The market for new, alternative energy is real, global and growing. To meet this need, Shell has made a strategic commitment to develop and deliver new, alternative, and renewable energy sources around the world."
In October, 2004, Shell Hydrogen LLC opened the first hydrogen dispenser at a retail gasoline station in the U.S. to service a fleet of six fuel cell vehicles from the General Motors Corporation. Located in northeast Washington, D.C, this station is part of collaboration between Shell and GM to demonstrate hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and refueling infrastructure technology, an important contribution in making fuel cell vehicles an everyday reality. Shell offers both compressed and liquid hydrogen at the Benning Road station. Shell recently completed its first commercial transaction when GM paid for it hydrogen in the station’s convenience store after filling one of their FCV’s.
An important component of this station is the visitor’s center—a place where visiting government officials, industry representatives and members of the local community who are curious about Hydrogen can drop by and see a real-world hydrogen station in action. Since opening, hundreds of visitors, many of them U.S. Congressional members and their staffs, have seen Benning Road in action.
Shell Hydrogen’s Benning Road safety manager, Rick Scott, briefed President Bush in the visitor’s center and demonstrated the refueling of a GM fuel cell vehicle. There were six fuel cell vehicles at Benning Road Wednesday. Three from GM, one of which included a prototype pick-up truck for the U.S. Army, and vehicles from Ford, DaimlerChrylser, Hyundai. Ford also brought a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine coach.
"President Bush impressed me with his knowledge of issues associated with moving to a hydrogen economy. The president asked questions about consumer interest in hydrogen and mentioned to me need to educate legislators about hydrogen."
President Bush’s visit came in the midst of the U.S. Department of Energy’s review of its Hydrogen Learning Demonstration Program. The program is designed to demonstrate safe, practical hydrogen technologies in real-world settings.
DOE's project is a government/industry partnership created to address the national challenge of ensuring reliable, domestic, diverse energy sources while reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and protecting the environment. In April 2004, DOE selected five teams to participate in "learning demonstrations" that include testing, demonstrating, and validating hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure and vehicle and infrastructure interfaces for complete system solutions. Shell has teamed up with GM under this program.
DOE requires each validation project to also include a comprehensive safety plan; an activity to assist in developing codes and standards; and a comprehensive, integrated education and training campaign. Teams are led by automobile manufacturers or energy companies and made up of hydrogen suppliers, fuel cell suppliers, utility or gas companies, fleet operators, system and component suppliers, small businesses, universities and government entities. Lead organizations will work with their teams to demonstrate integrated and complete system solutions operating in real world environments. These demonstrations will assess the research program's progress toward meeting the goal of making a commercialization decision by 2015.