H&FC Letter November free article:
It's Official: Honda and Volkswagen Join California Fuel Cell Partnership
ANAHEIM, CA - You saw it here first: two more international automobile manufacturers join the California Fuel Cell Partnership. And more may
be in the pipeline:
As reported last month by H&FCL, German caretaker Volkswagen and Japan's Honda have signed on with the broad based California initiative
to commercialize clean fuel cell technology for transportation (H&FCL Fast Forward Oct. 99, May, Sept. 99), the California Air Resources
Board (CARB) said in an Oct. 5 announcement.
"We are pleased to welcome Honda and VW to the team," said CARB chairman Alan Lloyd. "The addition of these new partners, including the
first Asian based company, gives us a truly global partnership. Together, the shared expertise and commitment to expand our efforts to develop this
environmentally friendly technology will help us reach more consumers and help pave the way to commercialization."
Honda vice president for research and development, Ben Knight, said "Honda is planning to make fuel cell powered vehicles available in the year
2003. Cooperative activity with the California Fuel Cell Partnership will be important to the success of fuel cell vehicles by helping create an
infrastructure and public awareness and understanding."
"Volkswagen is pleased to join the California Fuel Cell Partnership," Wolfgang Groth, director of Volkswagen of America Inc.'s environmental and
engineering group, added. "We look forward to working cooperatively with the state of California and petroleum company partners to introduce
the clean fuels and develop the enabling technologies required for fuel cell vehicles."
CARB's release said a number of additional auto makers have been invited by the founding members to join the effort.
Launched in April of this year, the Partnership included initially car manufacturers DaimlerChrysler and Ford, fuel cell builder Ballard Power
Systems, the oil companies ARCO, Shell and Texaco, and two California state agencies, CARB and the California Energy Commission.
Contacts (media), CARB: Jerry Martin, 916/322-2990; Honda, Art Garner, 310/783-3163; VW, Tony Fouladpour, 248/340-5064. |
