3.6.2005
IKEA and Opel start joint fuel cell vehicle test in Berlin

IKEA customers in Berlin will hardly hear the arrival of the company's service personnel in the future. Visits will be made with the emission-free HydroGen3 fuel cell vehicle, which is based on the Opel Zafira and fueled by liquid hydrogen. In a practical test launched today in Berlin, the Swedish furniture store and the German automaker aim to gain experience with the hydrogen-based propulsion concept as part of the Clean Energy Partnership Berlin (CEP) project.

The fuel cell Zafira will be used by the Berlin-Spandau branch of the IKEA furniture store. Two IKEA employees have been trained to collect data that will be analyzed as part of the test while making customer service trips in the emission-free, low-noise vehicle. "IKEA's basic principle regarding the environment is to keep any environmentally harmful effects in all areas of activity as low as possible. We are therefore very pleased that by using this vehicle for IKEA Spandau service trips, we can contribute to bringing this technology a step closer to day-to-day suitability", said Peter Betzel, Deputy Managing Director, IKEA Germany.

"We want the society of the future to remain mobile without greenhouse gas emissions", said Hans H. Demant, Managing Director, Adam Opel AG. "General Motors and Opel have invested one billion dollars in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to date." Demant added that the HydroGen3 has demonstrated the high level of development reached, but a lot more hard work is needed until fuel cell vehicles can be profitably produced in large numbers.

Berlin CEP demonstration project

The Clean Energy Partnership Berlin (CEP) hydrogen demonstration project, which started in fall 2004, marks a new chapter in the history of energy and is one of the biggest European projects for sustainable mobility. The public-private partnership initiative is supported by the German Federal Government and ten partner companies. Its goal is to keep tomorrow's society mobile with the help of clean fuel sources without greenhouse gas emissions. The German Federal Government and partner companies are investing 33 million euros in the CEP "Sustainability Strategy for Germany". Hydrogen is completely environmentally compatible and is an innovative storage and transport medium for renewable energy.