Transportation energy data book: edition 23 - Oak Ridge National ...

FreedomCAR and Fuel Initiative
www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenfuel
www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels
www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells
Freedom Cooperative Automotive Research (FreedomCAR) is a government-industry
partnership for the advancement of high-efficiency vehicles, focused on fuel cells and hydrogen
produced from renewable energy sources. The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Council for
Automotive Research (composed of automakers Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler) began
this effort in January 2002 with the long-term goal of developing technologies for hydrogen-
powered fuel cell cars and trucks that will require no foreign oil and emit no harmful pollutants or
greenhouse gases.
But, successful marketing of hydrogen cars may depend on the development of a hydrogen
infrastructure, like today’s petroleum infrastructure, at the same time automakers are perfecting
hydrogen vehicles. That means the creation of everything from hydrogen manufacturing plants, to
distribution and storage networks, to convenient hydrogen fueling stations.
The FreedomCAR and Hydrogen Fuel Initiative is aimed at coordinating the efforts of the
energy companies, automakers, utilities, state and local governments, foreign interests and other
appropriate players. By working on parallel tracks, developing the hydrogen vehicles and
infrastructure concurrently instead of consecutively, a decision to go forward with the
commercialization of hydrogen automobiles could be made as early as 2015, 15 years ahead of
current projections.
For additional information about the FreedomCAR and Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, visit the
websites listed above or call 1-800-DOE-3732.
TRANSPORTATION ENERGY DATA BOOK: EDITION 23—2003
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