KARIYA, Japan—Denso Corp. has launched a pilot program to test a new energy management system at its assembly plant in Nishio, Japan, as part of efforts to eliminate CO₂ emissions from the facility.

Fuel cells offer tremendous potential as a clean power source. The chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen reacts with fuel cells and converts the energy to electricity. The decades-old technology is ideal for a wide variety of applications, including stationary power stations and many forms of transportation.

TOKYO—Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. plan to set up a joint assembly plant to manufacture fuel cells. The goal is to reduce the market price of fuel-cell vehicles to levels that can compete with gas-electric hybrid vehicles.

3M Co. is famous for sand paper, Scotch tape and Post-it notes. But, it’s also bullish on the future of fuel cell technology. The company is a leading provider of materials that are critical to fuel cells, such as fluoropolymers, membrane materials and advanced ceramics.

Many experts tout fuel cells as one of the cleanest forms of green energy, because the devices reduce CO2 emissions and provide greater energy efficiency than combustion engines.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy will provide more than $7 million to fund projects that will bring cost-effective, advanced hydrogen and fuel cell technologies online faster.

DETROIT—GM has entered into a new cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) to develop new hydrogen fuel cell technology.

DETROIT—GM and Honda are collaborating to develop fuel cells and hydrogen storage technologies.

NEWARK, DE—Bloom Energy has begun overhauling the old Chrysler assembly plant here. When finished, the new facility will mass-produce fuel cells and employ some 1,500.