GM to field-test Hydrogen3 in Japan
28 December 2002: The first commercial test of a GM liquid hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will take place in Tokyo in the middle of next year, when a when a Hydrogen3 will be used for a delivery service by Federal Express.
GM will supply FedEx with the vehicle free of charge for the year-long evaluation and will analyze the data from FedEx to determine how its fuel cell vehicles operate under real-world commercial driving conditions.
The initiative is GM's participation in the Japan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Demonstration Project, led by the Japanese government.
The Opel Zafira-based vehicle has a range of 250 miles and a top speed of 100 mph and will in the test travel between 50 miles and 112 miles each working day.
Earlier this month, Toyota and Honda both began leasing a fuel cell car to the Japanese government. And Nissan will begin limited marketing of fuel cell vehicles in Japan in 2003, two years ahead of schedule.
The company has begun public-road tests of its hydrogen-powered X-Trail FCV. Nissan and Renault are two years into a E691 million joint fuel cell R&D project.