Response to Joseph Romm's op-ed article in
Los Angeles Times on March 28, 2004

The following is the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s response to Joseph Romm’s op-ed article in Los Angeles Times on March 28, 2004.

 Mr. Romm’s editorial on the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) project to produce 35 hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEs) misses AQMD’s main objectives and mischaracterizes the intent of the project.

The AQMD’s Challenge

The South Coast Air Basin consists of the majority of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties, covering more than 11,000 square miles.  Although the AQMD regulates stationary sources, like power plants and refineries, about 80 percent of smog-forming emissions come from mobile sources.  Approximately 10 million gasoline vehicles and a quarter million diesel vehicles travel in the Basin, resulting in the worst air quality in the nation.  In fact, the South Coast Air Basin is the only area in the United States designated as “extreme” in terms of air quality.

In addition, the California Air Resources Board has identified that diesel emissions are toxic.  A landmark AQMD study showed that about 70 percent of airborne cancer risk is due to diesel emissions, creating even more urgency to reduce mobile emissions for the 16 million residents in the Basin.  Although great strides have been made to reduce pollution in the region over the last 20 years, increases in population, vehicle miles traveled, sport utility vehicle sales, along with atmospheric conditions, have actually caused ozone levels to increase in the last two years.  Last July, the region even experienced its first Stage 1 ozone episode in five years.  Since the AQMD is the government agency mandated by the federal Clean Air Act to bring the region into compliance with health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards in just six years, urgent action is needed on many fronts. 

Fuel Cell Vehicles

In order to achieve our air quality goals, more near-zero and zero-emission vehicles are indeed needed.  Hybrid-electric vehicles truly have near-zero emissions but the ultimate technology needed is fuel cell vehicles, since they offer high fuel efficiencies and do not emit any smog-forming pollutants.  These vehicles are being researched and demonstrated by all the major automobile manufacturers including GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai and Volkswagen, through a public-private consortium called the California Fuel Cell Partnership.  In the past three years, some of these auto makers have already made their fourth- and fifth-generation fuel cell vehicles available for demonstrations in California.  In the next three to four years, these auto makers, working with fuel providers, will establish a number of small vehicle fleets to gain real-world experience with both the vehicles and the hydrogen infrastructure technologies for production and dispensing.  These activities indicate that the debate is not “if” these vehicles will be commercially available but “when”.  In fact, GM has already publicly indicated they will have fuel cell vehicle models commercially available for consumers by 2010.

The AQMD is poised to take advantage of this extremely clean technology by installing small- capacity hydrogen fueling stations in strategic locations throughout the region, countering the “chicken-or-the-egg” dilemma.  The development of these fueling stations sends a strong message to automobile manufacturers that the infrastructure will be in place for fuel cell vehicle demonstrations.

Hydrogen-Powered Internal-Combustion Engine (ICE) Vehicles

While the automobile manufacturers work to reduce the costs, improve the durability, and gain experience with fuel cells, the AQMD is doing similar research and development with the hydrogen refueling technologies.  The hydrogen ICE vehicle project will convert 35 Toyota Prius hybrids to run on hydrogen instead of gasoline to gain real-world experience with a hydrogen fleet, compare different fueling strategies and hydrogen production methods, as well as educate the public on this relatively new alternative vehicle fuel.  The AQMD is funding $2 million toward a total project cost of more than $4 million, with Quantum, the vehicle conversion company, five local cities, and possibly the U.S. Department of Defense paying the balance of the cost.  This cost-shared approach allows the AQMD to leverage its dollars to match industry efforts in order to maximize the resources for technology advancement.

The Toyota Prius was selected due to its advanced hybrid technology, allowing a more “transparent” experience for the driver, which is critical for public acceptance of hydrogen as a fuel.  The hydrogen ICEs will demonstrate two different fuel storage strategies, using compressed hydrogen as well as metal hydrides.  The latter will provide double the fuel storage and range, again adding to public acceptance and exposure to new technologies while simultaneously improving the air quality.

Counter to Mr. Romm’s comments, these vehicles will not be dirtier than the current Prius since they will meet the same nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission standards as the Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV), one of cleanest new car standards in the world.  In addition, the hydrogen-powered Priuses will have zero carbon monoxide and evaporative hydrocarbon emissions.  Taken as a whole, hydrogen ICEs will reduce smog-forming pollutants compared to conventional vehicles.

Hydrogen will be provided for these vehicles through a variety of methods, but mostly through electrolysis, which uses electricity and water.  If the electricity is generated from renewable power sources, e.g. wind and solar, then there are no pollutant emissions.  Mr. Romm correctly identifies that this is an energy-intensive and expensive strategy today.  However, if petroleum and natural gas prices continue to rise, and their reserves continue to decline, the relative costs comparison will continue to improve.  Our strategy is to demonstrate various electrolysis products to advance the technology, improve competition, gain experience, and reduce the costs to accelerate commercialization.

And although this is a research and demonstration project, the AQMD’s desire is that these types of vehicles will be widely commercialized within the next decade to induce the growth of hydrogen refueling stations while fuel cell vehicles come on line.  The automakers are spending billions of dollars on advancing fuel cell vehicle technologies.  The AQMD views the hydrogen ICE vehicles as a bridging technology that will provide an incentive to develop hydrogen storage and fueling technologies.  Mazda, Ford, and BMW are also demonstrating hydrogen ICEs as a bridging technology to fuel cell vehicles

The Path Forward

The AQMD has limited time and resources to achieve the emissions reductions needed to bring the region into compliance with federal air quality standards by 2010.  In addition, maintaining the air quality goals beyond 2010 will be a tremendous challenge due to the projected increases in population, vehicles, and miles traveled.  The three main tools at AQMD’s disposal to reduce vehicle emissions are regulations, incentives, and technology advancement.  On the regulatory front, the AQMD has been authorized by the state to require fleets to purchase the cleanest available technology when replacing a vehicle.  This has historically applied to natural gas vehicles for school and transit buses, waste haulers, street sweepers, taxicabs, and other public fleets.  Since the rules rely on fleet turnover, the reductions realized are mid-term to long-term as vehicles are replaced.  Despite their effectiveness, these AQMD “Fleet Rules” are being challenged by engine manufacturers and the oil industry as a de facto tailpipe standard, which is a right reserved by the federal government.  The U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments and will decide this spring if the AQMD can retain this valuable air quality strategy. 

The second tool available to the AQMD is the incentive programs, designed to provide funding to offset the typically higher prices associated with alternative vehicles and fuels.  A good example of this type of mechanism is the Carl Moyer Incentive Program.  For the past several years, the state of California has provided funding administered by the AQMD to pay the differential amount for the purchase and operation of cleaner heavy-duty vehicles and off-road equipment.  To date, the AQMD has used $55 million in state funding to replace 2,600 vehicles and engines, reducing NOx emissions by over 2,400 tons per year.  Unfortunately, the Carl Moyer state funding mechanism will expire this year.  The AQMD is working closely with businesses and environmental interests to establish a long term funding mechanism for the Carl Moyer Program through state legislation.

Another incentive program funded solely by the AQMD has helped local school districts purchase 300 clean fuel or low emission school buses and install particulate traps on 1,300 school buses.  This program, however, is dependent on available funds through the AQMD’s enforcement activities and so is subject to annual budget priorities.

The third AQMD tool is funding of advanced, clean air technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects.  The hydrogen ICE project is one of many AQMD efforts to help advance pre-commercial technologies.  The AQMD has a long legacy of such assistance; for example, we funded the development of the first fuel cell bus and the first commercial stationary fuel cell power plant in the early 1990s.  These efforts have not occurred because we have “bought into the hype about hydrogen,” as alleged by Mr. Romm, but rather to fulfill the need for clean mobile and stationary technologies.

The AQMD’s technology advancement projects focus on real-world demonstrations of clean air technologies with the potential for commercialization.  Because these projects are RD&D in nature, the associated project costs should not be compared to commercially available technologies.  The AQMD experienced similar negative comments and confusion over the development of natural gas engines, electric vehicle drive trains and advanced batteries, and advanced after-treatment development.  However, our funding of these technologies has helped drive the market by improving and optimizing the technology, increasing manufacturer competition, and reducing costs of the eventual commercial products. 

Although the hydrogen projects have garnered much of the attention lately, the AQMD has a balanced portfolio of technologies with short-term and long-term potential emissions payoffs.  The AQMD has major on-going RD&D projects in all clean air technology areas, including advanced engine development, engine after-control, electric hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure, VOC and toxic emission reduction, stationary power combustion processes, and clean fuel alternatives.

For example in the passenger vehicle area, the AQMD is funding the development of a plug-in hybrid vehicle with DaimlerChrysler, which was selected as “having the greatest potential to transform an industry” by IEEE for 2003.  The “plug-in” attribute allows this vehicle to travel short distances on battery power only, like an electric vehicle, but switches to a small gasoline ICE engine for higher power and greater distances much like the current hybrid cars.  The benefits can be realized in the very near-term for this near-zero emission vehicle with great potential for branching out to other applications.  Longer-term projects include demonstration of fuel cell vehicles, on which the AQMD is working with several manufacturers.

No Hype

The AQMD’s legal responsibility is to reduce so-called criteria pollutants which form smog in the South Coast Basin.  If the agency can also reduce global warming gases such as carbon dioxide, all the better.  The hydrogen vehicles offer the promise to do both, and we would be remiss not to research this opportunity.  This is the first time in history that the federal government, the major automobile manufacturers, the state government, and the local air agency have combined interests for the production of a clean fuel and zero-emission vehicle.  We agree with Mr. Romm that California should continue “advancing the most environmentally responsible cars in the world — hybrid partial zero-emission vehicles.”  And in fact, that is exactly what the hydrogen ICE vehicle project does. 

-#-