Kia Motor Corp. has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with members of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) to help promote Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) and showcase the company's competitiveness in eco-friendly vehicles.
The initial agreement was signed yesterday in Seoul, attended by Dr. Hyun Soon Lee, Vice Chairman and head of Hyundai-Kia R&D; Dr. Klaus Bonhoff, Managing Director of NOW GmbH (National Organization of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology); Patrick Schnell, Chairman of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) and other CEP members.
As part of its global activities to prepare commercialization of fuel cell vehicles, Kia intends to join the Clean Energy Partnership in 2011. The parties agreed to negotiate respective terms for participation.
The German Federal Government, together with stakeholders from various industry sectors and academia, set up the National Innovation Programme to support the market preparation of fuel cell technology in Germany. The combined budget for the Programme amounts to Euro 1.4 billion and covers the period 2007-2016.
"With Kia coming on board, the CEP would gain another strong partner from the automotive industry. We believe this can advance the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles," said Patrick Schnell, Chairman of the CEP.
"By participating in the Clean Energy Partnership, Kia intends to generate further momentum in finding ways to better fuel cell technology and performance," said Vice Chairman Dr. Lee.
Last January, Kia Motors signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with four Northern European countries to operate a test fleet of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) in the European market.