Via Mazda Corp Japan
HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation is pleased to announce that on May 18, 2010 it received the IAHE Sir William Grove Award from the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) at a presentation ceremony in Essen, Germany.
The IAHE is an international organization that promotes academic and technological advancements in the field of hydrogen energy. Every two years, the IAHE presents five awards to researchers or organizations that have made significant contributions in areas related to hydrogen energy. The awards are presented during the World Hydrogen Energy Conference (WHEC), the world’s largest international conference on hydrogen energy, which the IAHE hosts.
The 2010 IAHE Sir William Grove Award recognizes Mazda’s initiatives to advance hydrogen energy, which include the commercialization of the world’s first hydrogen rotary engine vehicles, and participation in Norway’s national HyNor hydrogen project. This is the first time Mazda has won an IAHE award.
History of Mazda’s hydrogen vehicle development
1991 Developed first hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, HR-X
1992 Conducted test drive of golf cart equipped with fuel cell
1993 Developed second hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, HR-X2 Developed MX-5 test vehicle equipped with hydrogen rotary engine
1995 Conducted Japan’s first public road tests of a hydrogen rotary engine vehicle, Capella Cargo.
1997 Developed Demio FC-EV
2001 Developed Premacy FC-EV, conducted first public road test in Japan
2003 Announced RX-8 hydrogen rotary engine development
2004 Received MLIT approval for public road testing of RX-8 Hydrogen RE
2006 Started commercial leasing of RX-8 Hydrogen RE in Japan (eight models have been delivered to date)
2007 Signed agreement to provide RX-8 Hydrogen REs to HyNor, a Norwegian national transportation project
2008 Commenced public road tests in Norway with RX-8 Hydrogen RE validation vehicle
2009 Commenced commercial leasing of Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid
For more information on Mazda’s hydrogen rotary engine, please visit:
http://www.mazda.com/mazdaspirit/env/hybrid/hre.html
