Sharp corporation has a plan to install a world's largest fuel cell system of about 10 MW at a factory in Sakai city.
The factory is now under construction and will start the manufacturing of products, including liquid crystal panels, around March, 2010. The CO2 reduction amount achieved by the new factory is almost double that by the Kameyama factory (main factory for manufacturing liquid crystal panels), which is currently operating.
A power supervising system will be incorporated into the fuel cell system in order to supervise and centrally control electric power consumed by 18 companies, including SHARP and companies which will extend their business to Sakai city in business connection with the products manufactured in the SHARP's new factory.
(YOMIURU LINE)

Mass-production and mass-sales of the residential fuel cell systems will start on the next year (2009). Tokyo Gas is studying how to maximize the amount of sales of residential fuel cell systems, with optional items including
lease systems, cooperation with house distributors, and others. The company aims to achieve a target value of 10,000 units/year. (The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital)

Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. plans to launch residential fuel cell cogeneration systems into the market early in the next year, 2009.
The company has developed the FC cogeneration system in cooperation with ENEOS CELLTECH Co., Ltd. and Toshiba Fuel Cell Power Systems Corporation.
The company participated in the large-scale demonstration test project for the residential fuel cell systems in 2005 and is testing 365 fuel cell cogeneration systems in the demonstration test. The company seeks the conclusion on the number of products the company can offer to the market.
(The Sankei Shimbun & Sankei Digital)

Daikoku hydrogen-filling station (Yokohama) using the Cosmo Oil's reformer is ready for a 70 MPa hydrogen filling demonstration test. The hydrogen-filling station has been re-built for the hydrogen filling of 70 MPa hydrogen with the aid of Iwatani Industrial Gases Corporation, and has completed its re-building.
COSM OIL Co., Ltd. runs the Daikoku hydrogen-filling station under contracts with JHFC (Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration project). The JFFC has a plan to build four hydrogen-filling stations in the Kanto area for 70 MPa hydrogen supply (Nikkei BP, The Chemical Daily Co., Ltd., etc.)

TOYOTA will conduct the public road test of its FCV in the cold region for four months in cooperation with HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT and Hokkaido Gas Co., Ltd.
(YOMIURI ONLINE)

Mazda will start a public road driving test of "Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid" (hydrogen vehicle), aiming to start a lease sale of the hydrogen vehicle.
A brief specification of "Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid" is:
motor-driven FF system, 110 kW (maximum output power), and 150 km/hour
(maximum speed). The output power of the RE hybrid is almost four times of "RX-Hydrogen RE" the lease sale of which started in 2006.
(Nikkei BP)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. started the lease sales "FCX Clarity" in Japan on November 25, 2008, and delivered it to the Ministry of the Environment.
A total of 200 vehicles will be sold for the next three years in Japan and the U.S. In the U.S. the lease sales of the clarity already started in July this year.
The clarity will be sold, for the time being, to such limited clients as government and municipal agencies. Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan (FCCJ) is promoting the building of hydrogen-filling stations, aiming to sell the Clarity to general users
(Mycom Journal)

Suzuki to Lease MIO Fuel-Cell Mobility Scooter to Shizuoka Prefecture
Suzuki Motor Corporation is to lease its MIO fuel-cell mobility scooter to the Shizuoka prefectural government for a collaborative trial from 28 November.
Whereas mobility scooters already launched by Suzuki are powered by batteries, the MIO is powered by a fuel cell, which uses a convenient liquid fuel (methanol). The fuel cell gives the MIO a range of 60km, which is about twice that of a battery-powered mobility scooter. Suzuki is conducting development with a view to putting fuel-cell technology to practical use in mobility scooters for seniors.
(News release from SUZUKI Motor Corporation)