In 2005, Penn State built a hydrogen gas station. Now, two years later, the university is building a fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles, Office of Physical Plant officials say.

Joel Anstrom, research associate at Penn State and director of the Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Center, said the university will convert six Office of Physical Plant (OPP) vans from natural gas to hydrogen gas this summer. Currently, Penn State has one hydrogen van on campus.

Anstrom said the use of hydrogen vehicles on campus is mainly to demonstrate the hydrogen fueling station located at OPP that opened in the spring of 2005.

"The vehicles are supporting the station rather than the other way around," Anstrom said. "We're trying to demonstrate the hydrogen fueling structure that you can put anywhere."

To convert the vehicles, Anstrom said Penn State must purchase a $15,000 kit from Collier Technologies, Inc., in Reno, Nev. He said it's the cheapest way to demonstrate hydrogen, for now.

"At this point, it's still kind of in the demonstration stage," Anstrom said. "But in production, it wouldn't cost as much, it would maybe be just a few thousand rather than 15,000."

Hydrogen vehicles run more efficiently because the engine process is cooler, running with more air and less fuel, Anstrom said.

In terms of energy production and cost, one kilogram of hydrogen is the same as one gallon of gas. Anstrom said he hopes Penn State will be able to use 40 kilograms per day from the hydrogen fueling station located at OPP. The station was designed to produce 100 kilograms of hydrogen per day, he said.

If OPP likes how the hydrogen cars run, there is a possibility Penn State will convert more vans in the future, Anstrom said.

OPP spokesman Paul Ruskin said OPP is also in a preliminary discussion with Miles Automotive Group in Malibu, Calif. to purchase a ZX40, an electric vehicle. The ZX40 can carry four passengers and travel up to 50 miles before needing to be recharged, he said.

Penn State already has one electrical vehicle on campus, the Global Electric Motorcar (GEM), Ruskin said.

"We purchased one to see how well they work," Ruskin said. "We're trying to expand our usage of alternative fuels, and electricity is another way to power transportation other than petroleum."

OPP is still in the testing stages with the vehicle, which cost $15,000. OPP decided to have a trial period of a year before deciding whether or not to purchase more GEMs, Ruskin said.

"We want to see what temperatures and other seasonal effects might be," he said, adding that batteries don't always work as well in cold weather.

The vehicle can travel 40 miles without having to recharge, and OPP hopes that it would enable them to perform maintenance on campus and recharge the vehicle at night.

"We are in a period of experimentation," he said. "We don't really know for sure what the most cost-effective and most environmentally-friendly vehicle is, so we're running tests on various types to find out what works."