Hydrogen-Powered Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)
The Chevrolet Silverado 4x4’s standard gasoline engine has been modified to run on hydrogen,
gasoline, or
E85, making it a trifuel vehicle. The vehicle was modified to utilize hydrogen produced
by wind power
(via electrolysis) in Minot, North Dakota. It is part of a demonstration of intermittent
hydrogen production
from wind and integration with the grid, a project being led by Basin Electric Power
Cooperative, the U.S.
Department of Energy, and the EERC.
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Hydrogen-Powered ePower Ice Bear
The EERC NCHT assisted in the development of the eP-Ice
Bear, provided technical expertise, and led the initial demonstration of the technology. The eP-Ice
Bear, the first hydrogen-powered ice resurfacer, was converted to run on a hydrogen fuel cell. The
vehicle was unveiled at the Hydrogen Energy Summit, sponsored by U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan at the
EERC in 2006. Senator Dorgan led development of the hydrogen and fuel cell portions of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 that was passed by Congress.
The body of the $150,000 hydrogen-powered eP-Ice Bear was designed by the Resurfice Corporation of
Elmira, Ontario, Canada. This Canadian company also markets the conventionally fueled ice-resurfacing machines
that compete with the Zamboni-brand machine at hockey and other skating arenas. In addition to ePower
Synergies and the EERC, other project partners included Ontario-based HyMotion; Alberta-based Dynetek
Corporation; Nuvera Fuel Cells, Cambridge, Massachusetts; and the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy
Technology Laboratory.
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