We reported back in March that the Department of Energy (DOE) had launched a hydrogen fuel-cell campaign called H2USA after the Obama administration reconsidered its stance on hydrogen as a mass-market fuel source.
Now Honda has announced that it will be participating in the campaign to promote fuel-cell technology.
Steven Center, VP of Honda’s Environmental Business Development, had this to say about Honda joining H2USA: “Honda is looking forward to working with the U.S. Department of Energy, other automakers and related stakeholders to expand the market and infrastructure for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).
As the first company to lease a hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle to retail consumers (Honda FCX) in the U.S., we believe FCEVs are important to the future of electric-drive, zero-emission transportation. This public-private partnership is a necessary step to continue the development of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure for FCEV customers and leverage other hydrogen energy sources, including natural gas and renewables, allowing consumers in many parts of the country to take advantage of this clean, low-carbon transportation option.”
The U.S. is in the midst of a big push to make hydrogen-powered vehicles a reality. Recently, Duke researchers made a big step toward that with virtually eliminating all CO from the hydrogen creation process.
The more automakers jump on board, the faster hydrogen will gain traction. It’s unclear what other automakers have signed on as the DOE webiste doesn’t even make mention of the H2USA program.
Check back for more details as we plan to dig into this a bit more.
