BERLIN and VANCOUVER, Canada -- Daimler has announced it will outfit its hydrogen fleet with fuel cells produced in Canada.

Global engagement in this industry is steadily increasing, according to the automaker. In Germany, initiatives like the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) already have the biggest automakers worldwide onboard. Both Toyota and Honda recently joined the likes of BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, GM and Ford in the CEP. Chemical companies involved in hydrogen production and other stakeholders are also participating.

Germany Trade & Invest is holding an investor event today in Vancouver to highlight business opportunities for international companies interested in Germany's budding fuel cell industry, especially in the growth regions of eastern Germany. Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and internal investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.
   
"Germany's economy is booming, and the fuel cell industry is on the verge of a major breakthrough. International companies and government initiatives have created the optimal conditions for companies to prosper, especially in Germany's high-tech eastern regions," said Dr. Juergen Friedrich, chief executive of Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

Daimler, in a joint venture with Ford and Ballard Power Systems, has created a subsidiary called the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC). At its site in Burnaby, near Vancouver, fuel cells for the B-Class F-CELL and the Citaro FuelCell Hybrid city bus will be made. Dr. Andreas Truckenbrodt, CEO of AFCC, along with Geoff Budd of Ballard Power Systems, will highlight the latest developments and business opportunities in Germany at today’s event.

Alongside some of the auto industry's top players, Germany has simultaneously created an excellent framework for investors with generous public programs to support the further development and implementation of fuel cell technology. Funding of EUR 700 million (approximately $1 billion) has been made available so far -- the biggest program of its kind in Europe.

Last month, the federal government announced an additional EUR 200 million (roughly $291 million) for research in storage technologies including fuel cells. Germany already features more than 300 companies and 65 research institutes specializing in fuel cell technology as well as 70 percent of Europe's fuel cell fleet.