Japan meets Norway! Mazda reaches out all the way to Norway to support the Hydrogen Road of Norway (HyNor). The Mazda Motor Corporation’s involvement with the project intends to help in the enhancement of hydrogen vehicles and hydrogen fuel. According to TheAutoChannel.com, the partnership was officially settled during the signing ceremony that took place at the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo a few days ago. I bet you don’t have any idea about this, so just dig in and filter this update with your Volkswagen air filter!
The event was attended by known personalities such as Mr. Åge B. Grutle, Norwegian ambassador to Japan and Mr. Hisakazu Imaki, Mazda’s president and CEO. During the signing ceremonies, Mr. Seita Kanai, Mazda’s director and senior managing executive officer in charge of Research and Development and Mr. Ulf Hafseld, chairman of HyNor, signed a memo of agreement for partnership and support in the growth of a hydrogen economy. The memorandum includes the agreement that HyNor is set to to get 30 Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicles beginning on summer of 2008. These will be the first hydrogen vehicles sold outside of Japan for the Mazda Motor Corporation.
“I very much welcome the agreement between Mazda Motor Corporation and HyNor. The agreement illustrates that HyNor’s efforts to contribute to the development of hydrogen-based technologies are recognized by Mazda as a major global actor in this field. The partnership between HyNor and Mazda is also very encouraging for Norway’s broader efforts to strengthen its cooperation with Japan in promoting research and technologies within the context of climate change mitigation, including a hydrogen society. For the Norwegian Embassy it is a top priority to support these efforts, working in close collaboration with Innovation Norway and the Research Council of Norway” says H.E. Mr. Åge Grutle, Norwegian ambassador to Japan.
“HyNor is very pleased to sign this agreement with Mazda and we think this cooperation will speed up the process of introducing hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel” said Ulf Hafseld, the chairman of HyNor. “By using the Internal Combustion Engine as a feasible technology to accelerate realization of the real hydrogen world, we can develop a hydrogen infrastructure much faster. HyNor is focusing on a carbon neutral infrastructure, and using hydrogen in the Mazda cars will ensure a complete carbon free line of fuel.”
“This will be the first time a Hydrogen RE vehicle will be sold outside Japan and this is a big step in Mazda’s hydrogen vehicle development history. Perhaps Norway is one of the countries closest to the realization of a hydrogen energy society. By cooperating with HyNor and jointly supporting the development of a hydrogen economy, we hope that Mazda will be able to contribute to the establishment of a hydrogen society”, says Mr. Seita Kanai, Mazda’s director and senior managing executive officer.