WEST COAST VIEW
Arnold & Spencer's Hydrogen Highways

by Michael Coates

There's a quick measure of the relative value of celebrity compared to your garden-variety politician announcing the same type of program.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, although qualified as a politician by virtue of being the current governor of California, is the latest hybrid, a celebrity-politician with a heavy emphasis on the first half of his hyphenated title. In addition, he has the credentials to claim a weightlifting record or two, but lately has been engaged in lifting in a whole new realm. His current goal is to "clean and jerk" the state's transportation energy scene from its current petroleum orientation to a near future focused on hydrogen. It may help that the fuel he is elevating is lighter than air. Then again, it may seem that the fuel's low atomic weight may make for a very difficult effort when it comes time to nail down its future use in the real world of everyday driving.

With little pomp, but an overflow of panache, Gov. Schwarzenegger filled up the first vehicle on his vaunted ‘Hydrogen Highway’ on April 20 as part of an Earth Day event. He spent a few minutes at a photo op topping off the tank of one of University of California Davis' Toyota FCHVs, proceeded to a short speech once again "pumping up" his state about the bright future of hydrogen as a transportation fuel, then moved to a mock desk to sign an executive order S-7-04, essentially a feel-good resolution saying the state would do everything it can to create a real Hydrogen Highway by 2010. The only concrete action was that a California Hydrogen Economy Blueprint Plan would be drawn up and submitted to the governor by the first of next year.

Governer Schwarzenegger signs executive order S-7-04, a resolution stating the state of California will do everything it can to create a real Hydrogen Highway by 2010

The actions of the "Governator" received worldwide publicity in all media, although one wire story footnoted the fact that Arnold has yet to convert one of his Hummers to run on hydrogen (another postponed campaign promise). No money commitments, but media buzz everywhere you looked.

The media attention to Gov. Arnold's Hydrogen Highway initiative (H2 Hiway for short) was still swirling around when U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham flew to Detroit a week later to announce the government's "first installment" of a pledged $1.2 billion, $350 million spread among 30 projects covering research, vehicles, infrastructure and other issues. Partnerships with 100 universities and private companies spread the money pretty thin (and few details were released). No photo ops of a photogenic politician fueling up a hydrogen car. No public signing of executive orders. Just government cash trickling out to build what Schwarzenegger already took credit for planning to build (170 hydrogen refueling stations by 2010).

The Arnold approach to building the H2 Hiway in California is a fascinating study in the power of celebrity politics mixed with traditional pork barrel politics. The H2 Hiway was a solid plank in the Arnold recall election campaign that swept him into office. The fairly radical platform had a substantial amount of popular support but lacked many critical details, such as how it would be funded or implemented in any practical sense. But it strengthened the self-contradictory appeal of a Hummer-driving, cigar-smoking Republican to the broad pro-environment middle in the Golden State. The pledge also extended an existing commitment that grew out of the state's preeminent position as the only arbitrator, other than the Federal government on matters of vehicle emissions. It is logical that the first state with a government-industry fuel cell partnership (now five years old) and an even longer commitment to zero emission vehicles would lead the charge on hydrogen as a fuel. Much of the international effort to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles was already centered in the state and lately the issue of the infrastructure (as in, where and when would it start to appear and, once again, who would pay for it) was being raised with some regularity by the automakers regularly showing off their latest H2 vehicles. Industry was saying in essence, the cars are getting ready, where are they going to go to refuel? The issue came into sharp relief as several auto companies attempted to set up loans and leases of their fuel cell vehicles but were stymied because of the lack of refueling infrastructure.

The bottom line is that as the country's largest state in population and a leader in this field, it is not surprising that much of the hydrogen money announced by Abraham will be flowing to California. Even though the DOE announcement was made in Detroit, the alleged center of the automotive universe, most of its money will be heading out to California. Details are still to come, but Gov. Arnold's refueling shtick was probably right on the money--literally.

Michael Coates is an automotive journalist and marketing executive based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is president of the Western Automotive Journalist's group and has worked extensively on automotive and energy issues.