NEW YORK - Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it delivered five fuel cell-powered vehicles for a demonstration program to be conducted by Canadian government agencies to cut down automobile pollution.
Ford plans to place 25 more Ford Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles in fleets in the United States and Germany by the end of the year, the company said.
"B.C.'s 2002 Energy Plan lays out a path for future energy use and production, with a key focus on alternative energy, including hydrogen fuel cells, which will ensure environmental sustainability -- one of our key goals for the next decade," British Columbia's Minister of Energy and Mines, Richard Neufeld, said in a statement.
BC Hydro, B.C. Transit, Ballard Power Systems, the City of Vancouver, Fuel Cells Canada, the National Research Council, Natural Resources Canada and the Government of British Columbia will use the vehicles in daily driving conditions under a three-year hydrogen fuel technology demonstration program.
The Canadian government has invested $4.5 million in this project, said Ford, which is based in Dearborn, Michigan.
The Ford Focus FCV is a hybrid-electric vehicle that uses the Canadian-made Ballard Mark 902 series fuel cell engine and Dynetek compressed-hydrogen storage tanks. The performance of each car will be monitored over the next three years.
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