Abstract
Executive Summary
The past year has seen a number of key developments in the light duty vehicle
market. A few new vehicles have been introduced or will be before the year' s
end, with small delivery numbers projected through 2009. Small scale
production of the Honda FCX Clarity continued, as did the test programme for
GM' s fuel cell Equinox vehicles. The industry looks to be using current
deployments to address issues of durability and cost as they prepare to
introduce commercial product. The auto industry is facing a major challenge
due to the worldwide economic downturn, with the US automakers particularly
hard hit. This has required an adjustment of priorities away from fuel cells
for some companies that had been less active in this arena, while most others
have indicated that they are still on track with their commercial vehicle
development timelines. The US Department of Energy proposed shutting down its
fuel cell vehicle programme, while funding programmes in the European Union
and Japan continued apace. The California ZEV mandate continues to be an
important driver for fuel cell deployments in the US; reports are that
automakers are preparing to introduce larger fleets of FCVs in the state
through 2014.
About the author
Lisa Callaghan Jerram is based in North America and specialises in fuel cells
for transportation, with over ten years experience in analysing the progress
of transportation fuel cell applications toward commercialisation. Her focus
also includes legislation and regulations affecting fuel cells and hydrogen at
the state, regional and national levels in North America.
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