Air Liquide is committed to enabling the hydrogen energy infrastructure. Working closely with partners in the private and public sectors, Air Liquide is helping to move hydrogen energy technologies from the drawing board to the real world. The Group is actively developing the entire hydrogen energy supply chain, from producing hydrogen, to making fuel cells, to developing solutions to distribute hydrogen to end users.

Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC has been selected to supply five, 700-bar, portable fast-fill hydrogen fueling systems to General Motors in the U.S. General Motors will also have an option to acquire two additional systems. The systems will be built in North America, with proprietary engineering designs from Air Liquide's Advanced Technologies teams, and should be operational by the end of 2007.

This is Air Liquide's second collaboration with GM related to hydrogen as energy. Air Liquide is also working with GM in Canada, having installed a fueling system at GM's Cold Weather Testing site for hydrogen vehicles, in Kapuskasing, Ontario.

Pierre Dufour, executive vice-president of Air Liquide Group, and president and CEO of American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc., stated: "This agreement with General Motors is one of the ways in which Air Liquide is contributing to advance the use of hydrogen as a source for energy and as an alternative solution to fuel the cars of the future. We are very pleased to be collaborating with General Motors on this project."

With over 40 years' expertise in the hydrogen business and in line with its commitment to sustainable development, Air Liquide is a major partner in numerous international hydrogen energy projects in Europe, Japan and North America. Air Liquide considers it has a responsibility as a world leader to open up new markets and introduce scientific and technological innovation in society.