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On Tuesday, October 14, 2008, beginning at 5:30PM, the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition, with sponsorship from Foley Hoag and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, is pleased to be holding the next in our series of Clean Energy Forums - Creating a Clean Transportation Future. Joining us in Waltham on October 14, to share their experiences and insights from advancing the clean transportation field are:
- Stephen Costa, U.S. Department of Transportation
- Sheila Lynch, Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium
- Bill Mitchell, Nuvera Fuel Cells
The challenge of high oil prices has emboldened Americans to buy more efficient cars, reduce the number of miles driven, and seek out alternative transportation modes. We have already seen significant financial implications on the American automakers of the shift from gas guzzling SUVs and trucks to gas sipping hybrids and mid-size cars. The United States Congress passed the first new CAFE standards in at least twenty years, and the biofuel mandate has continued apace.
Technical innovations in the private sector have accelerated significantly, with an eye towards providing the car buying public more choices and greater control over their energy future. Recent innovations include: Chrysler introducing four all-electric vehicles for the 2010 model year; Tesla Motors introduction of the all-electric Roadster; Toyota and General Motors each introducing plug-in hybrids for the 2010 model year; and T. Boone Pickens aggressively promoting the conversion of our transportation future to natural gas vehicles in his Pickens Plan.
In the midst of these innovations, we have also seen global food prices soar along with gasoline over $4 per gallon, causing economic hardship for many around the globe, while creating an economic drain on our wallets and ballooning our current account deficit here in the United States. This global dependency on oil for transportation, generating a massive transfer of wealth to the oil exporting countries and distorting foreign and domestic policies around the world, has created even greater interest in transitioning our transportation infrastructure to a future which is cleaner, domestically sourced, economically equitable and more sustainable.
One area where significant advances have been made is hydrogen-based transportation. This past August, nine hydrogen fueled vehicles traversed the entire Untied States from Maine to California, to demonstrate the commercial readiness of hydrogen-based transportation. We are pleased to have joining us on October 14, Stephen Costa, of the United States Department of Transportation, who will provide a review of the vehicles that participated in the National Hydrogen Road Tour.
Another area of significant advance is the use of hydrogen-fueled buses for public transit. We are very fortunate to have joining us on October 14, Sheila Lynch, of the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium, who has single handedly and successfully spear-headed approximately $28 million in hydrogen transportation projects in the Northeast. Sheila will be able to provide us with her insights on the scope and progress of these projects, including the introduction of a fuel cell bus at Logan Airport.
Critical to advancing technical innovation is the identification and focused execution on niche markets to accelerate market adoption and drive down costs through volume production. Nuvera Fuel Cells is a leading commercial enterprise focused on achieving commercial success in fuel cells for transportation, integrating their fuel cell systems into fuel cell buses, automobiles and fork lifts. We are very fortunate to have Bill Mitchell of, Nuvera Fuel Cells, joining us on October 14th, to present Nuvera's commercial activities in advancing fuel cell transportation.
COST: $15 for members and $25 for non-members