The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert has unveiled two projects that will help fuel the province's drive to a hydrogen-based future in transportation, as we move into our second century. The world's first modified pickup truck fueled by a combination of hydrogen and gasoline was unveiled by the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) in Saskatoon, just nine months after SRC unveiled a similar prototype fueled by a combination of hydrogen and diesel. SRC developed the technology and applied it to a General Motors 6.0 litre engine. The vehicle will run on hydrogen and gasoline at the same time. "The development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel is a key part of a green and prosperous economy," Calvert said. "I believe the pathway to a hydrogen future runs through Saskatchewan." The total value of the project is $655,300 which includes $192,300 in newly announced funding from Saskatchewan Industry and Resources. Several sources will make up the remaining $463,000, including Saskatchewan company ECCE Energy Corporation and SRC. SRC is also a key participant in a second complementary project announced to develop and install damage detection systems for pressurized cylinders used in stationary and mobile applications including pickup trucks, vans and buses. This is a part of the Intelligent Control Systems for Fuel Cells and Natural Gas Vehicles project that was initiated in 1999. The damage detection project will cost $807,000 and involves support from SRC and Precarn Incorporated. The detection system, if successful, could become an integral part of monitoring on-board pressurized cylinders, such as hydrogen cylinders, in the vehicles of the future.
