SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 1, 2000 -- When Hyundai Motor Company became the sixth member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CFCP) in June, it joined the leading edge of the effort to commercialize alternative energy use in automobiles and set the standard for environmentally friendly fuel cell vehicles. When Hyundai Motor Company Chairman Mong Koo Chung signed the CFCP agreement, Hyundai’s entry into the fuel cell partnership placed it among global giants such as CFCP partners Daimler Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen.

“Hyundai Motor Company is committed to the long-term, leading-edge development of environmentally friendly vehicles,” said Chung Goo Lee, president of worldwide research and development for Hyundai Motor Company. “Fuel cell vehicles are as friendly to the environment as electric vehicles, have higher fuel economy than hybrid gas-electric vehicles, plus convenient fueling options. The high efficiency of fuel cells minimizes the amount of carbon-dioxide emissions created at every step, from fuel production to the operation of the vehicle, and is lower than any available fuel-based vehicle.”

Hyundai’s efforts to minimize damage to the environment started long before joining the CFCP and today’s unveiling of the new Santa Fe Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) at the alliance’s grand opening.

Hyundai has been participating in the development of fuel cell vehicles since 1998 under the fuel cell development project jointly supported by the Korean Ministry of Industry and Resources and the Ministry of Science and Technology, and lead by the

Next-Generation Technology Development Team. And Hyundai’s efforts and investment in producing other alternative energy powered vehicles go back to the early 1990s.

Starting with a Sonata sedan based model, Hyundai has produced electric vehicles utilizing the Excel, Grace, Accent, Atos and Kia Sportage platforms. The Accent EV was the fifth electric vehicle in the world to be certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as a ZEV (zero-emission vehicle). In 1995, Hyundai developed a hybrid electric vehicle, the FGV-1, and followed it in 1999 when the FGV-2 debuted at the Seoul Motor Show. More recently, Hyundai introduced the County bus, plus Elantra- and Accent-based hybrid electric sedans.

Hyundai and its American partners, International Fuel Cells, Enova Systems and IMPCO Technologies, will continue to develop the next generation alternative-fuel vehicle, the Santa Fe FCEV. And, on its own in Korea, Hyundai is designing and developing a methanol-powered fuel cell Santa Fe, providing the company with increasing knowledge about fuel cell systems, and helping to lay the base for the development of a Korean fuel cell infrastructure.

Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, Korea. It is responsible for the technical development of cars and trucks in North America, including governmental certification issues. Its headquarters are located in Ann Arbor, Mich., with two branch offices in the Los Angeles area.

International Fuel Cells is the only company producing stationary fuel cell systems commercially. The company currently markets the PC25™, a 200-kilowatt fuel cell system for commercial applications. In addition to developing automotive and stationary fuel cell systems, IFC also supplies the fuel cells used on the Space Shuttle.

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