WSSD Report FINAL! - OGP

CONTRIBUTING TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Urban air quality
of this effort, Petronas introduced the use of natural
gas for vehicles (NGV) with a pilot project using 21
vehicles from their own fleet. This was in 1986. In July
2001 Petronas made NGV commercially available
from 20 selected service stations to 4000 vehicles in
Kuala Lumpur and its vicinity. The target is for 162
NGV outlets throughout Malaysia by 2006.
Since the introduction of the PGU project in 1984,
the share of gas has increased from 5.9 per cent of
total energy demand to 8.3 per cent in 1990 and
11.1 per cent in 1999.
How a fuel cell car works
gasoline or methanol reformer hydrogen (H 2 )
hydrogen (H 2 )
hydrogen (H 2 )
fuel cell electricity
electric
motor
Collaborating on fuel cell technology
Fuel cell technology is an option that has the potential
to improve significantly the fuel efficiency of
motor vehicles while reducing emissions from transportation—should
it become viable and economic.
ExxonMobil is working with both General Motors and
Toyota to develop technologies supporting an
onboard gasoline processor for fuel cell vehicles. Fuel
processors use gasoline as a fuel to create hydrogen.
This hydrogen is then used by the fuel cell to power
vehicles. The ExxonMobil/GM/Toyota team has
designed, built and run a number of gasoline processor
primary reactor configurations. Each auto
company has a target to demonstrate a gasolinepowered
fuel cell vehicle within two years.
ExxonMobil, BP, Shell and ChevronTexaco are
members of the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a
public-private venture to demonstrate fuel cell vehicles
in California and explore paths to
commercialization of this technology.The partnership
is currently evaluating fuel cell vehicles, primarily
buses using hydrogen, methanol and gasoline.
Also participating in the California Fuel Cell
Partnership—which began in April 1999—are: auto
manufacturers DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda,
Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen; and fuel cell
companies Ballard Power Systems, International Fuel
Cells and XCELLIS. Government agencies involved are
the California Air Resources Board, California Energy
Commission, US Department of Energy, US
Department of Transportation and the South Coast Air
Quality Management District. The fuel aspect of the
fuel cell vehicle plays a crucial role for the successful
deployment of this technology and its acceptance by
the consumer. Gasoline fuels for fuel cell vehicles offer
the advantage of using an existing and familiar distribution
infrastructure that would avoid costly capital
outlays for alternative distribution systems.
Clean cities programme
If freedom of mobility has a downside, it is the
growing numbers of vehicles polluting the air of the
world’s major cities. In consequence, governments are
imposing new and tighter standards on fuel quality
and vehicle emissions.
Meanwhile, as part of its Clean Cities Programme,
BP is introducing cleaner fuels that substantially
reduce emissions without sacrificing ease of mobility.
This creative, progressive approach is based on the
premise of regarding the vehicle and its fuel as a single
system, with fuel technology keeping pace with
vehicle technology. For gasoline, this means unleaded
fuel with low benzene and sulphur content—or no
sulphur at all. For diesel, low sulphur is also a priority.
Overall the objective is to enable motorists to get the
In a fuel cell vehicle
gasoline is used to
create hydrogen
which, in turn, is
processed by a fuel
cell to generate
electricity.
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