CaFCP members and friends have made announcements in the past few months that clearly demonstrate progress toward the commercial market. Announcements include:

• Daimler announced that production of the Mercedes-Benz B Class F-CELL will commence in late-2009 with a small lot. The first of around 200 vehicles will be delivered to customers in Europe and the USA at the beginning of next year.
• General Motor’s fifth-generation fuel cell stack is smaller, lighter and uses 50% less platinum in the membrane than the fuel cell stack currently powering the Project Driveway Equinoxes. The new fuel cell stack is expected to have 120,000 miles durability. GM anticipates producing 10,000 units a year by 2015.
• Honda confirmed its commitment to fuel cell vehicles. From a Bloomberg article, “Fuel-cell cars will become necessary,” said Takashi Moriya, head of Tokyo-based Honda’s group developing the technology. “We’re positioning it as the ultimate zero-emission car.”
• Hyundai and Kia announced they will produce fuel cell vehicles within 2-3 years as part of their plan to develop more environmentally friendly vehicles.
• Proton Energy Systems earned a patent for its proprietary control system for regulating the purity and pressure of the fuel.
• Shell Hydrogen opened the first H2 station in New York City at JFK Airport.
• Toyota announces that the FCHV-adv achieved an estimated range of 431 miles and an average fuel economy of 68.3 miles/kg during a day-long government test. Separately, Toyota stated the first vehicles will be priced “shockingly low.”
• Linde, Shell, Daimler and other companies signed an MOU to build a nationwide network of hydrogen stations in Germany to prepare for production quantities of FCVs in 2015.