The East Coast could be in line for a new swathe of gas stations with a difference.

In an interview with The Morning Call, the Mid-Atlantic Hydrogen Coalition (MAHC) advocacy group said it was hoping to replicate the planned strategy in California, where Governor Schwarzenegger's "Hydrogen Highway" initiative is underway.

Aiming to establish a series of stations capable of refuelling hydrogen vehicles, the group says that by working as a region, states along the East Coast can make the hydrogen economy a clearer commercial reality.

MAHC's executive director Andre Van Rest said the idea was to create stations on the Interstate 95 corridor running between Washington and Boston.

'On a state-by-state basis, we can't compete with California,' he explained. "As a region, we can.'

There are no firm targets for the number of stations needed to make the scheme viable, but the broader goal is to catalyse the development of a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure along the East Coast.

In December last year energy firm BP opened its second Singapore hydrogen refuelling station - said to be the world's first unmanned refuelling station.

An on-site electrolyser produces 10kg of hydrogen gas a day, which is compressed into fuel and put into six models of Mercedes-Benz F-cell car.

BP has opened similar facilities in the UK, Australia and the US, and a test station is due to open in Beijing this year.



Ÿ Adfero Ltd