The GM HydroGen4 is the European version of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle and it was presented at the Geneva motorshow. GM plans to deploy ten of the vehicles in Berlin as part of a Clean Energy Partnership (CLE) programme. The car uses a fuel cell stack containing 440 series connected cells to produce an output of 93KW. The vehicle has an operating range of about 320 kilometres and was described by the President of GM Europe, Carl-Peter Forster, as "an important milestone on the road towards completely emission-free, competitive fuel cell technology".

Hydrogen could be the fuel of choice to replace fossil fuels if energy researchers are to be believed. Despite the promising qualities of hydrogen fuel, storage could be a problem but combining it with other elements to form a solid could provide a positive conclusion. Zhigang Fak, a chemist from the University of Utah, claims to have found a way to control the release of hydrogen in a breakdown situation by using a catalyst such as platinum to release the gas.

Meanwhile, a concept study of a direct methanol fuel cell will be presented at CeMAT 2008. Presented at the Jungheinrich stand, the study analyses the economical and technical effects of the methanol fuel cell's use in industrial trucks. It believes a fuel cell can be developed that takes a few minutes to charge, rather than needing a new battery.

Lift trucks have pulled ahead of cars in the adoption of fuel cell technologies, it has been claimed. According to Raymond Corp, the lift truck sector began to pull away in 2004 although the automobile market is not far behind.

An overview of fuel cells developed specifically for portable devices will be available through the World Micro Fuel Cell Market for portable Devices - a research service launched in March. Provided by Frost & Sullivan, the research examines consumer electronic devices, industrial portable devices and military man-portable equipment.

A bill to boost the fuel cell industry in Connecticut has been proposed by Lawrence Cafero, a House minority leader. His proposal would provide $50 million over four years that would go towards buying hydrogen-electric hybrid buses and would also convert Bradley International Airport to the first in the world to be run on fuel cell technology.

Larry Burns, Vice President of Research and Development and Strategic Planning for General Motors, talked about the future of fuel cells this month. He felt they were an essential part of the cars of the future and in an article for Forbes he said today's vehicles would be replaced with cars "powered by fuel cells". "GM is working on every front -improving vehicle efficiency, promoting the production and use of biofuels, encouraging the development of diverse energy sources and creating electrically driven vehicles," he added.

The Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, Lee Fisher, announced a $8.9 million grant would be awarded to 12 companies for the development of fuel cell technologies. The funding is part of the Third Frontier Fuel Cell Program. "The investments made today will provide additional opportunities for the development and deployment of fuel cell technologies and will continue to spur economic growth in this important industry," said Mr Fisher.

Viaspace has announced that its Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Corporation division has delivered sample methanol fuel cell cartridges and interface values to Samsung SDI. The fuel cells have been integrated with Samsung SDI fuel cells in a portable electronics application. Dr Carl Kukkonen, Chief Executive Officer of Viaspace, said: "We are delighted that our cartridges and valves have been able to meet Samsung's initial requirements. We are looking forward to taking the necessary additional steps with Samsung in order to bring a methanol fuel cell cartridge to market."

Ballard Power Systems and IdaTech signed a three-year supply agreement which means Ballard Power Systems will provide IdaTech with its Mark 1020 ACS fuel cell products. According to Noordin Nanji, the agreement shows Ballard Power System's Progress in integrating fuel cell products into the market.

ITM Power, a fuel cell and electrolyser development firm, has joined up with Roush Technologies in an agreement that could produce carbon dioxide-free commercial vehicles in Britain. Refuelling stations are being developed by ITM Power while Roush is looking to work on solutions to convert existing internal combustion petrol engines to run on hydrogen.

Fuel cells could power motorbikes in the near future after Suzuki announced a deal with Intelligent Energy. Suzuki would use the fuel cell power systems developed by Intelligent Energy to produce the bike although the plans are at the beginning of a "long process" according to Dr Jon Moore, a co-founder on Intelligent Energy.