"The development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel is a key part of a green and prosperous economy," said Premier Lorne Calvert. "With this move, the Saskatchewan Research Council is helping to make Saskatchewan the national model in researching and demonstrating hydrogen as a new source of energy." The total value of this project is $463,000 which includes $100,000 from SRC and $200,000 from a private sector client.

"The Government of Canada's funding of $163,000 for this project underscores our commitment to a prosperous and competitive hydrogen and fuel-cell industry," said Ralph Goodale, Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable R. John Efford, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. "This cleaner energy technology will help Canada address climate change and build an efficient, sustainable economy for the 21st century - and today is proof that the new economy will happen here in Saskatchewan."

The proprietary hydrogen systems being developed in Saskatchewan are a critical bridging technology as the transportation industry moves towards fuel cell vehicles of the future. These systems burn hydrogen in an internal combustion engine, whereas a fuel cell is similar to a battery and uses hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. This unique modification of existing vehicles to use hydrogen with conventional fuel provides the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the lowest cost and greatest flexibility to the vehicle operator.

SRC conducted a feasibility study for Ecce Energy Corporation (a Saskatchewan Company) focused on the substitution of hydrogen for gasoline or diesel fuel in vehicles. SRC demonstrated the technical feasibility and based on this success, the project was extended to include the development of two prototype vehicles using hydrogen. The first prototype is a General Motors (GM) heavy-duty pickup truck with a 6.6-L turbocharged diesel engine that was demonstrated today. This vehicle can be operated on diesel fuel alone, or on a combination of hydrogen and diesel fuel. Performance and drivability of the vehicle is excellent, and there is no power loss when using hydrogen. The second prototype will burn hydrogen and gasoline.

In association with Ecce, the development of the prototypes is being conducted by SRC, with financial assistance from the Government of Canada's Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance funding program. Scheduled over the next year, the project will lead to Ecce's commercialization of this novel hydrogen technology in Saskatchewan.