City Councilman Bill Rosendahl drove into a corner gas station with a big grin on his face. He stepped out of a sports utility vehicle, pumped fuel into the tank and declared it “the most joyous moment I've had since being elected to office.” That's because Rosendahl was marking the opening of California's first retail hydrogen station Thursday, and the Chevrolet Equinox he was riding in emits nothing but water vapor. “This is the car of the future,” he said. “Let's get rid of gasoline.” While there are few hydrogen powered fuel-cell vehicles on the road now, supporters hope the station will show the public that hydrogen can become a mainstream, eco-friendly alternative to petroleum. State officials see it as part of the “Hydrogen Highway,” a developing network of fueling stations to promote commercialization of hydrogen-powered cars. “It was only a few years ago that this was just a concept, now you can see it, touch it and feel it,” Fred Joseck, technology analyst of the US Department of Energy's hydrogen program, said. The Shell station, which was charging $4.59 per gallon ($1.21 per liter) of regular gasoline Thursday, features one pump with a bright blue “Hydrogen” label above a video monitor that dispenses the fuel by the kilogram. Hydrogen is made and stored in a tank.
