Industry Outlines Steps for a European Hydrogen Infrastructure / Energy companies and vehicle manufacturers position themselves for success

Brussels (ots) -

This is a common press release from:

BMW Group
DaimlerChrysler AG
Ford Motor Company
General Motors Europe AG
MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG
Shell Hydrogen B.V.
Total France
Volkswagen AG

Today, the energy companies Shell Hydrogen B.V. and Total France,
along with the vehicle manufacturers BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler AG,
Ford Motor Company, General Motors Europe AG, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG
and Volkswagen AG announce their joint approach to advance hydrogen
as a fuel for road transport in Europe.

Hydrogen and fuel cell technology will bring significant change in
the way Europe produces and uses energy. While the public and private
sectors already agreed that so-called Lighthouse Projects,
integrating all aspects of hydrogen production, distribution and use,
are the necessary next step, the group of energy companies and
vehicle manufacturers believe that now is the time to move forward.
In a common position paper, the companies have defined a near and mid
term action plan to pave the way for the introduction of
hydrogen-based mobility in Europe.

The companies are together convinced that a joint approach between
energy companies and vehicle manufacturers is an excellent means to
bridge the gap between the present individual demonstration
activities and future commercially available hydrogen vehicles
including the corresponding refueling infrastructure.

While each company is pursuing its own specific timelines, the
group has commonly identified key phases over the next decade,
comprising continuous technology development and cost reduction,
pre-commercial technology refinement and market preparation, with
commercialisation of hydrogen powered vehicles potentially starting
around 2015.

The companies have identified a number of criteria for the
implementation of Lighthouse Projects in Europe. A key priority
moving forward is to concentrate efforts on a focused region for
passenger cars, leveraging all resources in order to maximize
learnings. Based on these requirements, the group sees these
Lighthouse Projects initially rolling out in Berlin for cars and city
buses, and in additional selected cities and regions for city buses.
All lessons learned will be shared across all regions, as will
continuing education and outreach.

Implementing next steps requires contributions from all public and
private stakeholders involved in hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
Therefore, the group is happy to welcome the engagement and
contribution of additional companies as this initiative moves
forward.

Text can be downloaded from the Internet at
http://media.gmeurope.com.

Originaltext: General Motors (GM Europe)
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Contact:
General Motors Europe AG
Andrew Marshall
Tel.: +49 (0)6142 7-73815
E-Mail: andrew.marshall@de.gm.com