GM and Fedex to begin test delivery service
U.S. auto giant General Motors Corp. (GM) and U.S. delivery service firm FedEx Corp. will launch a joint project in Tokyo next June in which fuel-cell powered vehicles will be used for package deliveries, GM said Tuesday.
The project, to be conducted on a test basis, will last for one year, the U.S. carmaker said.
It will be the first time in Japan that fuel-cell vehicles have been used for commercial purposes.
Fuel-cell vehicles are pollution-free as they are powered by electricity generated through chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
Earlier this month, Japanese carmakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. began leasing their fuel-cell vehicles. GM’s entry is expected to intensify competition among automakers for the development of fuel-cell cars.
GM said its fuel-cell vehicles will be based on the Opel Zafira minivan.
GM plans to put its fuel-cell vehicles on the market by 2010, aiming to become the first carmaker to sell one million units, company officials said.
