Honda and General Motors recently announced a long-term strategic partnership agreement to jointly develop next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technology by 2020, in order to further promote the adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
Under this strategic cooperation agreement, Honda and GM will share their respective insights into fuel cell technology, aiming to reduce the cost of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles by developing small, lightweight, high-performance, and low-cost fuel cell systems and hydrogen storage technologies. The next-generation fuel cell technology is expected to be operational by 2020. In addition to technological cooperation, Honda and GM will also jointly take steps to improve, standardize, and regulate hydrogen storage infrastructure.
Honda and General Motors have each undertaken a series of pioneering activities in the field of FCEV development, through demonstration trials and leasing sales. According to the "Clean Energy Patent Growth Index" data published in the United States, the two companies held more than 1,200 US patents related to fuel cells between 2002 and 2012, ranking first and second respectively.
In addition, Honda announced that it will launch FCEVs in Japan, the United States, and Europe in 2015, following the "FCX Clarity". GM also has FCEV production plans and will announce them at an appropriate time in the future.
