THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Shell Exec: Hydrogen Fuel Station In D.C. Is Just The Start: “The hydrogen fuel station for fuel-cell vehicles that opened Wednesday in Washington, D.C., is intended to bring the technology to the attention of lawmakers and show its usefulness and safety for retail use, said Jeremy Bentham, chief executive of Shell Hydrogen, part of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies”: “Bentham predicted 5 million to 10 million such vehicles could be on the road worldwide by 2020.” (ShellNews.net) Posted 11 Nov 04

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

NEW YORK -- The hydrogen fuel station for fuel-cell vehicles that opened Wednesday in Washington, D.C., is intended to bring the technology to the attention of lawmakers and show its usefulness and safety for retail use, said Jeremy Bentham, chief executive of Shell Hydrogen, part of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (RD, SC).

In an interview on CNBC Wednesday, Bentham said tremendous advances have been made in fuel-cell technology and the company wants "to bring hydrogen as a fuel out of the industrial setting...and bring it to the kind of retail environment where people can see there is nothing unusual about this."

He expects fuel-cell vehicles to be available on the mass market around 2015, shortly after General Motors Corp. (GM) has indicated it will have a vehicle that meets consumers' performance needs and mileage expectations at an affordable price.

Bentham predicted 5 million to 10 million such vehicles could be on the road worldwide by 2020.

"By the time you hit 2030, you're probably talking about 50 million vehicles," Bentham said. "There is a potential for that."

-By Deborah Finestone, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2205.