A number of major automakers have vowed to press ahead with their fuel cell commercialisation plans this summer despite funding cuts from the US government.

The budget for developing the hydrogen-powered technology was cut by almost two-thirds recently by President Barack Obama's administration, despite being over halfway through a ten-year programme.

However, several companies have made significant strides of late, with production of fuel cell vehicles expected to hit 50,000 in California by 2017, according to the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

Daimler is planning to commence production of its Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell car and will send 20 - plus ten fuel cell buses - to Germany to operate in Hamburg next year.

At the recent New York Auto Show, Honda's FCX Clarity was named as the world green car of the year, while Toyota has reiterated its desire to commercialise the technology by 2015, or perhaps a year earlier.

The Japanese manufacturer's FCH-adv can achieve a range of 340 to 370 miles - a similar result to Kia's Borrego fuel cell vehicle - and has been pushed to 480 miles in tests.

Meanwhile, General Motors now has 100 fuel cell vehicles on the road in the US, earthtoys.com reports, and Volkswagen has revealed that it is still committed to developing fuel cells.

Several of the major US manufacturers headed to Capitol Hill last week in order to outline their case for investing in fuel cell technology.

Source:

WORLD AUTOMAKERS REAFFIRM FUEL CELL COMMERCIALIZATION TIME TABLES (17/06/09)

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