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Wholly owned subsidiaries include AEP Pro Serv, an engineering, consulting and management service. AEP is also a partner in Intercontinental Exchange, an Internet-based marketplace for gas, power, coal, precious metals and oil.
A Diverse Portfolio
Domestically, AEP operates Houston Pipe Line, comprising 4,400 miles of pipeline and a natural gas storage facility in Texas; Louisiana Intrastate Gas, including a 1,900-mile natural gas pipeline and related facilities; and Quaker coal, which includes surface and coal mining operations and associated facilities and coal reserves in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, as well as coal reserves in Pennsylvania and interests in Colorado. AEP is also active in renewable technology through ownership of two major wind projects in Texas.
AEP's stable of diverse holdings includes MEMCO Barge Line Inc., making it the fourth largest inland barge company. AEP also operates Dolet Hills Lignite Co. in Louisiana. AEP’s international interests include Fiddler’s Ferry and Ferrybridge, with a total of 4,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation and associated fuel supplies in the United Kingdom.
AEP by the numbers
Westport to Collaborate with BMW AG on Hydrogen Engine CleanEnergy Program
VANCOUVER, March 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Westport Innovations Inc. has signed a collaborative agreement with BMW AG of Munich, Germany to support BMW’s hydrogen vehicle engine development program.
Under the agreement, Westport will provide fuel injection hardware and engineering support, including a set of prototype Westport hydrogen fuel injectors. BMW AG will use a research engine to test the Westport fuel injectors. Westport retains the intellectual property rights for the injectors, a revised version of Westport’s patented and proprietary direct injection technology for light-duty natural gas engines. BMW AG will substantially fund the costs of this program.
“BMW is the acknowledged world leader in hydrogen internal combustion engines,” said David Demers, Westport’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
“Westport natural gas injectors, and our direct injection experience, are the perfect stepping stones to the development of high performance hydrogen fuel systems.”
Patric Ouellette, Westport’s Chief Scientist, added, “natural gas, because it is economic and available today, is a more immediate solution for low-emissions engines. As hydrogen infrastructure develops, we think hydrogen engines will provide better performance than the combination of fuel cells and electric engines for clean-energy vehicles.”
The cost of the BMW program and the price for the Westport hardware and engineering support were not disclosed. The agreement runs to September 2003. BMW AG is one of the lead automotive partners in the European Integrated Hydrogen Project Phase II (EIHP2) and has been conducting day-to-day trials with hydrogen-powered vehicles for decades. More information about BMW’s hydrogen program is available on the Internet at www.bmwgroup.com/cleanenergy.
Westport Innovations is the leading developer of gaseous fuel systems for diesel engines. Westport’s strategy is to cooperate with engine manufacturers on technology development. For light-duty engines, Westport also has cooperative agreements with Ford Motor Company and Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. For heavy-duty engines, Westport has a joint venture with Cummins Inc. of Columbus, Indiana and a cooperation agreement with MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG of Munich.
For further information please contact:
Westport: Alan Bayless, Manager, Media and Investor Relations. Tel: +1-604-718-2016. E-mail:
abayless@westport.com. Website: www.westport.com.
BMW Group: Mr. Andreas Klugescheid, Corporate Affairs, Technology Communications, CleanEnergy Communications. Tel: +1-49-89-382-25506. E-mail: andreas. klugescheid@bmw.de. Website: www.bmwgroup.com.
Stuart Energy and Ford Power Products To Develop Hydrogen Power Systems
TORONTO, March 25
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/
Stuart Energy Systems Corporation has signed a joint cooperation agreement with Ford Power Products, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Ford has developed a hydrogen fueled internal combustion engine. Together, they will jointly develop hydrogen-fueled power systems for the global back-up power generation and other power markets.
Stuart Energy will integrate its proprietary hydrogen generation technology with Ford Power Products’ hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine generator package. This generator package is being jointly developed by Ford Power Products and Ballard Power Systems’ Electric Drives and Power Conversion Division.
Stuart Energy expects to install the first hydrogen back-up power system at its head office in Mississauga, Ontario in the fall of 2002. This installation will satisfy the first milestone in the Letter of Intent signed in October 2001 with Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited (CKI) to supply hydrogen back-up power systems for the Hong Kong and Asia Pacific marketplace. Subsequent milestones include prototype systems operating in field trials by spring of 2003. The first systems are expected to be commercially deployed by the end of 2003.
“This important agreement with Ford Power Products enables us to provide clean, reliable and safe hydrogen power products for the commercial marketplace within 24 months. With our CKI Letter of Intent, we expect Asia Pacific to be our initial market entry point,” said Jon Slangerup, President and CEO of Stuart Energy.
Stuart Energy’s integrated solutions will use proven technology and create a compelling product for the worldwide power market. “With our Hong Kong project on track, we are now targeting the U.S. market, where the concerns for energy security and clean air are driving forces for the adoption of commercial hydrogen solutions,” said Mr. Slangerup.
“Once installed, these systems will form a hydrogen infrastructure for the near-term power market. This distributed infrastructure can also be used to fuel hydrogen-powered vehicles,” commented Mr. Slangerup.
To learn more about Stuart Energy visit www.stuartenergy.com. More information about Ford Power Products can be found online at
www.fordpowerproducts.com.
The Race is on: Honda Moves to Lead in U.S. Fuel Cell Auto Market
The race to bring the first fuel cell equipped auto to market shifts to high gear as Honda Motor Co. reports it will begin selling cars powered by nonpolluting hydrogen fuel cells in the United States next year.
The announcement moves Honda to the head of the line in the fuel cell race and comes at a time when most of the world’s leading automakers, including General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, have massive fuel-cell development programs.
Initially, Honda would sell the fuel-cell cars to a limited number of fleet customers, not to the public. Penetrating the market in large numbers hinges on overcoming some major technical challenges, including the storage and delivery of hydrogen.
“I’m impressed that Honda is doing it in this time frame,” said Jim Hall, vice president for industry analysis at consultant AutoPacific in Southfield. “It’s obviously a (rush) program to be first on the market.”
Because there is no infrastructure for production and delivery of hydrogen, and because storing hydrogen safely and efficiently in a vehicle remains a major technical challenge, many of the development programs rely on a so-called reformer on the vehicle to convert gasoline or another petroleum-based fuel into hydrogen. Honda’s vehicles will run on hydrogen gas stored at high pressure in onboard tanks.
Honda will sell “a very limited number” of fuel-cell-powered cars in the United States next year, said Peter Rech, manager of Honda Division product planning for American Honda Motor Co. Inc. A person at Honda said the vehicles will be similar to the company’s FCX-V4 concept vehicle, and that the number sold will be “much less than a few hundred vehicles.”
Honda expects to sell the vehicles to one or more fleet customers, probably in California, where its engineers could monitor the program closely. The cars will refuel at a centralized fueling station at a fleet owner’s site.
“With such a constrained customer base, they get around the question of infrastructure for refueling,” Hall said. “They can gather some real-world data this way.”
A number of automakers, including Honda, GM, DaimlerChrysler, Ford and Toyota Motor Corp., have fuel-cell-powered test vehicles in operation around the world. DaimlerChrysler plans to sell 3 prototype city buses powered by fuel cells this year. It plans to begin selling fuel-cell passenger cars in 2004.
Honda’s marketing plans at this time are shrouded in mystery. “We’re not prepared to talk about numbers, who we’ll sell them to or the price,” Honda spokesman Andy Boyd said. Honda has a solar-powered hydrogen refueling station at its U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif. That station can produce enough hydrogen each day to keep one vehicle running, Boyd said.
“This is the first step in the process of selling fuel cells to the public,” Boyd said. “There are still a lot of hurdles, especially refueling infrastructure and cost. This allows us to evaluate commercial viability for a broader audience and gives us a chance for real-world performance and durability testing.”
General Motors, a leader in fuel-cell development, has decided not to participate in such low-volume, high-visibility tests. “Our goal is to be the first manufacturer to sell 1 million vehicles powered by fuel cells,” said J. Byron McCormick, executive director, GM Fuel Cell Technology & Commercialization.
While being the first automaker to sell the sophisticated, environmentally friendly system would generate significant positive publicity, McCormick said, the challenge is making a profitable business from fuel cells. GM hopes to refine the system and make refueling widely available before it puts fuel-cell vehicles on the market.
Honda’s FCX-V4 concept car is a 2-door, 4-passenger hatchback powered by a fuel cell running on compressed hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is stored at 5,000 psi in two fuel tanks under the floor of the passenger compartment. The 3,836-pound car has a top speed of 87 m.p.h. and a cruising range of more than 185 miles. The FCX-V4’s electric motor produces 80 horsepower, or 60 kilowatts, and 176 foot-pounds of torque.
The FCX-V4’s use of compressed hydrogen gas sidesteps one of the major development hurdles on which other automakers have focused their fuel-cell programs. They are studying ways to store greater amounts of hydrogen in a variety of chemical states, making the gas less volatile and improving their vehicles’ operating range. ©2002. All Rights Reserved. A Publication
of the National Hydrogen Association.
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