Today California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger launched the nation's first Hydrogen Highway Network in an event at UC Davis, home of the world's largest university research and teaching program on clean transportation.

The governor drove a hydrogen-powered fuel cell car to the event and refueled it at UC Davis' new hydrogen fueling station -- the first publicly accessible station on California's Hydrogen Highway. He is the first member of the general public to use it.

"This is the future of California and the future of our environmental protection," Schwarzenegger said. "This starts a new era for clean California transportation."

Flanked by state officials and UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, the governor signed an executive order to create a hydrogen transportation network throughout California by 2010.

UC Davis transportation programs are vigorous and growing, with more than 40 faculty members, 15 research staff and 80 graduate students involved. Anchored by the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis), the researchers are based primarily in the campus's College of Engineering and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

"UC Davis is the pre-eminent university in hydrogen-fuel research and teaching," said Vanderhoef. "Just as California's university-based innovators and visionaries launched the global computer and biotechnology revolutions, UC Davis is helping California launch the clean-transportation revolution."

UC Davis scientists conduct clean-transportation research programs that aid government, industry and public-interest group decision-making, to help ensure well-grounded transportation planning.

They study and teach aspects of transport and energy "from the well to the wheel," including advanced vehicle technology; alternative fuels; vehicle emissions and air quality; transportation economics; and travel behavior, which includes consumer acceptance of new technologies and systems, telecommunications impacts on travel and regional travel demand.

One of those scientists is ITS-Davis director Daniel Sperling, who directs the institute in studying the key questions that must be answered about hydrogen for transportation, like fueling station costs, whether there will be true environmental benefits, and consumer acceptance. Others include Joan Ogden, premier U.S. analyst of hydrogen energy; Paul Erickson, expert in hydrogen production; Marshall Miller, expert in hydrogen bus technology; and Anthony Eggert, research manager of the UC Davis Hydrogen Pathways Research Program.

"None of us knows what the future of transportation will be. But we do know change is needed," said Sperling. "We should take wise first steps now to find the best path. Intelligent demonstrations, strong research and public education are imperative if California will continue to lead in efforts to clean our air and reduce greenhouse gases that are warming the planet.

"At UC Davis we have a rich history of programs supported by industry and the state that we will build on," concluded Sperling, an international authority on transportation.

Today's event -- Gov. Schwarzenegger's first official visit to any University of California campus -- highlights the potential of hydrogen fuel and hydrogen-powered fuel cells in personal automobiles.

In its research fleet, UC Davis has two hydrogen-powered Toyota SUVs (the most at any university campus, a distinction shared with its sister campus UC Irvine) and a new transit bus, the first in the nation in everyday service to be powered by a blend of hydrogen and natural gas.

The campus Hydrogen Pathways research program is supported by 16 industry partners. The program examines a broad set of economic, environmental and consumer issues that will determine the costs, benefits and challenges of hydrogen being used as a broad-based transportation fuel. Nearly 30 UC Davis faculty and graduate students collaborate on this work, which includes careful monitoring of the new UC Davis hydrogen fueling station.

That station already is attracting non-university users. Two Honda fuel-cell cars participating in a demonstration project of the city and county of San Francisco drove to the governor's event today from San Francisco and refueled here for their return trip.