Hyundai, Toyota plan to cooperate on fuel-cell cars

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and other
automakers have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation to
successfully introduce hydrogen-fed fuel-cell vehicles, the South Korean carmaker
said Thursday.
"In order to ensure a successful market introduction of fuel-cell vehicles, it
should be aligned with the build-up of necessary hydrogen infrastructure," the
carmakers said in a joint statement.
"Therefore, a hydrogen infrastructure network with sufficient density is required
by 2015," the statement said.
The carmakers called for oil and energy companies, as well as government
organizations around the world to speed up the development of hydrogen refueling
stations before they launch the fuel-cell vehicles.
Other carmakers that signed the agreement included Daimler AG, Ford Motor Co.,
General Motors Co. and Honda Motor Co.
Fuel-cell vehicles are still in their infancy, the main challenges being the
expensive price tag attached to the cars and the safety of on-board hydrogen
storage systems, which are vulnerable in collisions.
Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. plan to roll out 200 trial versions of
hydrogen-fed fuel-cell cars next year, the Korean company said.
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