Yesterday I talked about how the Norway Hynor project was officially underway and open for business. As part of the celebration Crown Prince Haakon drove one of the cars to start off the Norway Viking Rally showcasing electric cars, plug-in vehicles and especially hydrogen cars.
The rally’s route included a scenic southern drive from Oslo to Stavanger with several stops in-between where hydrogen refueling stations have been built. Some of the participants in the Viking Rally include the Mazda RX-8 RE, Ford Focus Hydrogen, Fiat Panda Hydrogen, a handful of Quantum Prius Hydrogen conversions, a Ford Explorer H2, and a Ford Revolve Hydrogen Van, to name a few plus several BEV’s and PHEV’s as well.
The hydrogen fueling stations along the Norway Hydrogen Highway have been built by gas manufacturer StatoilHydro. The Norway HyNor project is part of the larger Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway project that seeks to link other hydrogen highway systems in Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
These systems are also expected to eventually link to the European Hydrogen Highway project that includes Germany, Italy, France and Spain. StatoilHydro is currently selling hydrogen for $6.28 per kilogram. So, for fuel cell cars that are twice as efficient as gasoline-powered vehicles this price should be cut in half for comparison’s sake (or the total price per fill-up compared for each comparable vehicle).
The hydrogen for the cars is produced cleanly by using Norway’s immense network of hydropower-plants. Hydrogen can also be claimed from industrial waste as well. So, at a time when the U. S. is downsizing its hydrogen car efforts, it’s good to see other countries, picking up the slack and running full blast into a hydrogen-based future.