MEDIA ADVISORY
ATTENTION: Transportation, technology and business reporters

WHAT: Just in time for the holidays, the DaimlerChrysler Corp. will hand over the keys of a new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to transportation researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Researchers at California Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) and the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) will study driver use of the F-Cell hydrogen car in real-world conditions as part of DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Project.

Reporters attending the event can view the car up close, as well as ride in the vehicle for a spin around the block.

WHEN: 11 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20

WHERE: UC Berkeley's Richmond Field Station (RFS), located at 1301 S. 46th Street in Richmond. Directions to and a map of the RFS are available online at: http://www.path.berkeley.edu/PATH/General/Directions/Directions.html. Follow the instructions to the RFS main gate, then proceed to Building 167. Parking is available in the lot at the corner of Egret Way and Crow Drive.

WHO: Samer Madanat, professor of civil engineering and director of ITS
Alex Skabardonis, adjunct professor of civil engineering and director of PATH
Tim Lipman, ITS assistant research engineer
Susan Shaheen, PATH program leader in policy and behavioral research
Peter Friebe, general manager of DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Project

DETAILS: DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Project is part of a national effort led by the U.S. Department of Energy to assess the viability of hydrogen vehicle and infrastructure technology in real world settings. Hydrogen cars, which emit water vapor as exhaust, are being explored as an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles.