On October 23, another hydrogen filling station opened up in downtown Detroit at the NextEnergyCenter. The station was built in a partnership between the Department of Energy, Air Products, Daimler-Chrysler, NextEnergy and BP. It will primarily be used by to fill up Daimler-Chrysler fuel cell vehicles that are being field tested. The facility uses the AirProducts Series 200 system which can store up to 50kg of hydrogen and dispense 20-40 kg of hydrogen per day. The Ford Focus fuel cell car ABG tried out recently holds 4kg of hydrogen, so the station can fill 5-10 such vehicles per day. Currently the pump is storing gaseous hydrogen that is trucked in. However, a representative from NextEnergy said that they are installing on-site hydrogen generation. Because NextEnergy is intended as a test and research facility they will have capability to do both natural gas reformation and electrolysis. The on-site generation will be operational in the spring of 2007.

NextEnergy is a non-profit organization that was set up in 2002 with seed money from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to implement an economic development strategy for the state of Michigan to promote research and manufacturing of alternative energy technologies. The NextEnergy Center is located near the Wayne State University campus. It includes training and presentation facilities for meetings and exhibits as well as testing facilities for alternative energy systems. The center also has what they are calling a MicroGrid Power Pavilion. The MicroGrid brings together various power sources into a small electrical grid that can be used for systems testing and integration.

[Source: Air Products]