It was announced today by Mazda that it has completed the first RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle with Norwegian specs, intended for involvement in Norway's national hydrogen project, HyNor.
The initial unit will be part of the ceremonies marking the official launch of the filling stations of the project. The first opening event will take place in Oslo this coming May 11.
After that, the RX-8 will to through certification to come up with the local standards and will be utilized for staff training maintenance. It is the intention of Mazda to begin leasing Norwegian specs RX-8 Hydrogen RE models in Norway beginning this summer.
Not like the RX-8 Hydrogen RE which is currently being leased in Japan, the HyNor-spec Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE is patterned after the newest European-spec Mazda RX-8 with left-hand drive and a manual transmission.
The project allows hydrogen vehicles to utilize a 580km long highway by placing a series of hydrogen stations between Stavanger and Oslo in Norway.
The Japanese carmaker has consented to work in tandem with HyNor on the project in November of 2007 and started validation of the RX-9 Hydrogen RE's driving performance on the public roads of Norway last October.
