Japanese And Korean Carmakers Jointly Promote Fuel Cell Vehicles

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: October 10th, 2012

japanese and korean carmakers jointly promote fuel cell vehicles

Pretty much most of the world’s large automakers plan a commercial launch of fuel cell vehicles in 2015, Hyundai even earlier. One of the hot spots could be Scandinavia. At the end of a month-long hydrogen-powered tour through Europe, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Hyundai signed an agreement to jointly promote fuel cell vehicles in Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) provides mostly for moral and promotional support and is hoped to be “a catalyst to begin a dialogue between public and private stakeholders in Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark on securing relevant financing and support mechanisms for accelerating market introduction of FCEVs.” What is interesting is that the three Japanese majors are doing something together, and that they are bringing the Korean juggernaut Hyundai on board.

Japanese makers have big hopes for fuel cell technology. Mitsuhiro Ueno, head of Honda R&D Europe called the fuel cell vehicle “the ultimate green mobility.” FCVs don’t have the drawbacks of pure EVs, namely limited range and long charge time. What is holding them back are price and infrastructure.

#BertelSchmitt #FCV #Hydrogen #Japan #Korea

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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5 of 34 comments

Robert Schwartz on Oct 11, 2012

NMGO: You are a piece of work. Of course fuel cell powered vehicles are technically possible, however, there is no conceivable state of this planet in which they will be an economically viable form of mass transportation. You need to read Derek's essay on the futility of being a fan boy: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/10/qotd-the-futility-of-being-a-fanboy/

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- NMGOM on Oct 11, 2012
  
  Hello, Robert.... Thank you. I shall consider that as a compliment. But in the future, it might be best to avoid personal slurs: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piece%20of%20work Glad you have realized that H2 FC's have, do, and will work. They are obviously more than "technically possible", or the Honda "Clarity" wouldn't exist as a product. Right? "Mass transportation"? Who was talking about mass transportation? I was referring to (and the article above was referring to) the private automobile! Economic viability depends on the availability (or not) of other competing fuel sources: at this point, price projections for H2 FC vehicles will be expensive, of the order of plug-in hybrids. Since no one has made a dedicated commercially available H2 ICE vehicle, no good price estimate is possible. But if BMW does go ahead with its new "secret" 3-cylinder H2 engine, coupled in a car with its usual advanced suspension and interior elegance, expect high prices. Remember, H2 is about 115 octane, and in the proper engine, a little goes a long way. I read the essay that you quoted. It's excellent, as is usual from Derek. But it refers to supporting or being loyal to a car brand. That is not the case here: we are talking about a new fuel source and its technology, and its implementation, --- as shown in the TTAC article above, to which these comments are attached. Suggestion: if technical issues are involved in the future, please be more specific. BTW: I am "NMGOM", not "NMGO". (^_^)... -------------
  
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- Robert Schwartz on Oct 12, 2012
  
  @NMGOM Mongo: You are a technology fan boy. Now run along and play.
  
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Bertel Schmitt on Oct 12, 2012

Gentlemen: Please conduct your discussions with the proper decorum, at the very least without name calling. Consider this as a warning. Please consult the FAQ: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/faqs/

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- NMGOM on Oct 12, 2012
  
  Bertel... I apologize if I have offended anyone. --------
  
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