Honda teams up with BMW!! REALLY!

[Militant-Grunt]

Look, they are co-marketing already!!!!

LOL... Man i missed a lot this week.



( back from FL! )

 

[Stitch]

Game Plan in CA w/o BMW

California has teamed with some of the best automotive manufacturers and energy providers in the world, to develop an exciting new technology that is both environmentally safe and commercially viable." (former Governor Gray Davis at the formal announcement of the partnership on April 20,1999). Members: DaimlerChrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell Hydrogen, Ballard Power Systems, UTC Fuel Cells, California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, National Automotive Center, South Coast AQMD, US Department of Energy, US Dept. of Transportation and US EPA etc...

Governor Schwarzenegger visited the California Fuel Cell Partnership to discuss his budget for transportation and funding to support the expansion of the hydrogen highway.

2004 – 2007 Plans: The Next Four Years
The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) members will continue working together through 2007 to promote further progress towards fuel cell vehicle commercialization. The organization will work together to move fuel cell technology for transportation to the next level – placing vehicles and fueling infrastructure into the hands of real-world users such as fleets and working closely with communities to facilitate the introduction of this new technology. The CaFCP will continue as a collaborative industry-government forum where the challenges of fuel cell vehicle commercialization can be addressed by a diverse group of representatives working toward a common goal.

As an organization the CaFCP plans to coordinate, facilitate and integrate activities that will accomplish the following goals:

1. Conduct Fleet Demonstrations
The CaFCP will facilitate members’ placement of up to 300 fuel cell cars and buses in independent, fleet demonstration projects within the state during this phase. CaFCP members plan to focus these vehicles primarily in two main areas – the greater Los Angeles region, and the Sacramento-San Francisco area.

2. Conduct Fuel Demonstrations
The CaFCP members plan to construct fuel stations to support the independent demonstration projects. By concentrating vehicles and supporting refueling stations in defined regions the members will be able to focus resources more effectively in these early deployments. Fuel station interoperability – “common fit” fueling protocols – will allow all vehicles to utilize a growing network of fuel stations.

3. Facilitate the Path to Commercialization
The CaFCP and its members plan to work together to help prepare local communities for fuel cell vehicles and fueling by training local officials, facilitating permit processes and sharing lessons learned. The CaFCP and its members also plan to promote the development of practical codes and standards for FCVs and fueling stations, and help to obtain financial and other support where needed.

4. Enhance Public Awareness, Education and Support
The CaFCP plans to continue working together to raise public awareness through general outreach to public and media, consistent with pace of technology development. Increased focus will be placed on coordination with stakeholders and other fuel cell vehicle programs worldwide, sharing resource documents and lessons learned to further progress toward commercialization.

Over the next 4 years the CaFCP members will demonstrate that a diverse group of companies and individuals can succeed with one common goal – to maximize the potential for fuel cell vehicles and fueling technology to help California and the world achieve a cleaner, more sustainable future.

source: www.fuelcellpartnership.org

 

[Stitch]

Apart from vehicle development, it is essential - beyond the bounds of the company - to set up global standards for a hydrogen infrastructure. Thus the collaboration between BMW AG, GM & Honda has as its goal the joint development of a tank coupling for liquid hydrogen to be established as a worldwide standard. Dr Frank Ochmann, head of the BMW CleanEnergy project said on 08/06/05, "Hydrogen as a fuel of the future can only achieve blanket coverage if we develop a convenient, standardized fuelling technology."

Source: BMW Group