California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed an executive order aimed at making California the leader in introducing environmentally friendly, hydrogen-fueled cars in the years to come. The governor drove a Toyota hydrogen SUV to refuel at a special station at the University of California Davis. He then signed an order about the fuel cells that produce power through a chemical reaction with only water vapor as a byproduct.
"I will sign an executive order creating a public-private partnership creating hydrogen highways all over the state of California by the year 2010," Schwarzenegger said. "Hundreds of hydrogen fueling stations will be built, and these stations will be used by thousands of hydrogen-powered cars and trucks and buses. This starts a new era for clean California transportation."
California already has 22 hydrogen refueling stations. Hydrogen stations cost about $500,000 and would be funded by private and federal funds, not state money. Although industry experts say it will be at least a decade or longer before hydrogen cars could become common, backers said Schwarzenegger was helping to prod their gradual introduction.
