JERUSALEM (Press Release)–Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) through the Israel Fuel Choices Initiative (IFCI) on Thursday, Feb. 12, signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Iveco (a Brand of CNH Industrial) and Magneti Marelli (FCA Group) for co-operation in the development of natural gas based technologies. The signatories are also discussing the possibility of establishing an extended research and development (R&D) co-operation program involving Israeli companies in fields related to alternative fuels, smart mobility and other automotive industry related activities.
FCI is a ten-year Israeli Government program, managed through the Prime Minister’s Office, dedicated to reducing the World’s dependency on oil for transport and supporting the development of alternative fuels. The Government of Israel has set an objective to establish the country as an alternative fuels knowledge hub by supporting the development and implementation of next-generation technologies. The program calls for the increased use of alternative fuel technologies in Israel’s transportation sector with a significant portion of the vehicle fleet being so equipped by 2020.
Thursday’s signing follows the joint statement made in December 2013 by the Governments of Israel and Italy that stressed the mutual desire for co-operation and innovation in alternative fuels for the automotive sector, and the Israeli-Italian industrial R&D co-operation agreement, under which the two Governments initiated a support program for bi-lateral R&D collaborative activities between Israeli and Italian companies.
The Fuel Choices Initiative, Israel’s national program for alternative fuels in transportation, serve as a catalyst for the reduction of global dependence on crude oil by establishing Israel as a center of knowledge and industry in the field of fuel alternatives. The Initiative has been budgeted for ten years in order to create regulatory stability and an investment horizon for market stakeholders, and includes tools to strengthen scientific and applied research in the field, simplify bureaucracy, and strengthen entrepreneurship and industry.
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Preceding provided by Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office
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