IRVINE,
Calif.-- General Motors Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service are joining
forces again to deliver mail using hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.
The two organizations announced today
that the U.S. Postal Service becomes the latest entry into Chevrolet's
Project Driveway, the world's first and largest market test of fuel cell
vehicles to date.
Two postal stations -- one in Irvine,
Calif., and another to be announced -- will be using hydrogen-powered Chevrolet
Equinox fuel cell electric vehicles to deliver the mail on regular routes
six days a week. The U.S. Postal Service immediately will begin using the
Equinox in Irvine.
"The Postal Service has been an invaluable
partner, and they put our fuel cell vehicles through some tough, daily
workouts," said Mary Beth Stanek, director of energy and environmental
policy & commercialization at General Motors. "We are gaining valuable
insight on how these vehicles perform in demanding, real-world situations.
By participating in Project Driveway, the Postal Service also is demonstrating
the need to develop a hydrogen infrastructure to support fueling these
vehicles."
The U.S. Postal Service began driving
a GM HydroGen3 fuel cell vehicle in 2004 in the Northern Virginia area
and in 2006, a HydroGen3 spent a year delivering mail in Irvine. Both test
drive programs ended in 2007. Those programs helped GM learn a lot about
how fuel cell vehicles operate under some demanding conditions -- learnings
that helped in developing the fleet of Equinoxes.
"We are very encouraged by GM's fuel
cell technology," said Walter O'Tormey, vice president, Engineering, U.S.
Postal Service. "We are looking for a vehicle that operates from a fuel
source that reduces -- or eliminates -- our dependence on petroleum products,
that is good for the environment, good for our customers and good for the
Postal Service."
Chevrolet's Project Driveway is putting
more than 100 Equinox fuel cell vehicles in the hands of real customers
to help Chevy and GM understand what it will take to bring larger numbers
of fuel cell vehicles to customers around the world. Currently, the program
has launched in Los Angeles, metropolitan New York City area and Washington,
D.C., with further deployments later this year in Europe and Asia.
GM will provide the maintenance,
fuel and service of the vehicle. The U.S. Postal Service letter carriers
will fuel the vehicle themselves at the University of California at Irvine
hydrogen fueling station operated by the National Fuel Cell Research Center.
The station is certified for 700 bar fueling and is already being used
by other Project Driveway participants.
About General Motors
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM),
the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales
leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people
around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures
its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars
and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac,
Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn,
Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle
safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be
found at www.gm.com .
About the U.S. Postal Service
An independent federal agency, the
U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address
in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has
37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and
services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service
has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's
mail. More information can be found at www.usps.gov . |