24.5.2004
Update 3^rd week: The Fuel Cell Marathon arrives in Paris

In the past week, the Fuel Cell Marathon stopped in Delft, Brussels and London again without any technical problems. On Friday night, the marathon car arrived after a total distance of 4,900 kilometres in Paris. This week we will see the marathon car passing through Germany and Switzerland, with stops in Darmstadt and Zürich. A special highlight of the past week was the visit of three EU Commissioners in Brussels – an unusually high turnout for any event organised by industry.

A special highlight of the past week was the visit of three EU Commissioners in Brussels – an unusually high turnout for any event organised by industry. Most prominent, Loyola De Palacio, Vice President of the European Commission and EU Transport and Energy Commissioner, took the driver's seat in the HydroGen3 for a short tour, followed by Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin and the Slovak Commissioner Jan Figel.

During the subsequent speeches, Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman and Managing Director, Adam Opel AG, highlighted GM and Opel's commitment for a sustainable mobility of the future, as well as the importance of bringing this new technology to public attention.

He said:" By staging a unique marathon drive across Europe from Hammerfest in Norway to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, GM and Opel demonstrate future prospects of individual mobility with the automobile beyond the limits of the age of crude oil. Our Fuel Cell Marathon also demonstrates that we are working towards ensuring the automobile, as the world's most important mode of transportation, has an environmentally compatible and sustainable future."

Nearly two years ago, the European Commission launched an initiative for a sustainable hydrogen economy. In connection with this, one important step was taken by the establishment of a multi-stakeholder "European Platform for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology." The task of this platform is to formulate a roadmap transitioning from a fossil fuel-based to a hydrogen economy. The EU has set the ambitious goal of substituting about 20 percent of all motor vehicle fuels with alternative fuels by the year 2020. Hydrogen and fuel cells are seen as key to achieving this objective.