Industry backs EU plan to boost hydrogen and fuel cell technology innovation
Wed 18 October 2006
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Forty-eight leading industrial firms have signed a declaration for the creation of a Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) on hydrogen and fuel cells to boost technology research. The firms have promised to invest 5bn Euros in the next ten years and this will be supplemented by futher millions allocated under the EU's seventh research Framework Frogramme.
The firms - which include a number of members of the LowCVP - have set a range of targets including an aim to bring fuel cell vehicles to market by 2015.
The announcement was made on the eve of the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (HPF) General Assembly. The HPF press release said: "This signifies a major and accelerated step forward in the development and deployment of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies within Europe."
According to the HPF release, the partners anticipate that the level of investment from industry will probably continue and increase beyond 2016. It expects EC funding to increase in the 7th Framework Plan (FP7) from the 75m Euros/year allocated under FP6.
The total private - public budget for the proposed programme is expected to be 6.7bn Euros for the 2007 - 2015 period including current member state spending (200m Euros/year), new programmes (eg. Germany 50m Euros/year), and many regional initiatives.
For a full list of the 48 signatories to the Joint Technology Initiative, follow the link below.
LowCVP members involved in the joint initiative include Daimler Chrysler, General Motors, Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells, Shell Hydrogen and Volkswagen.
Related Links
European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform press release
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