Mazda is sending 30 Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicles to Norway next summer, the first time the company has sold hydrogen vehicles outside of Japan. The buyer is HyNor (the Hydrogen Road of Norway), which is a Norwegian national project that is also running some hydrogen-powered Priuses, converted by Quantum.

HyNor is a 580 km stretch of highway between Oslo and Stavanger that is going to become a hydrogen travel corridor. This route was chosen because a.) it's a major route and b.) "Challenging transport conditions due to large variances in climate and topography, and where the prosjektme in particular will demonstrate the functionalities of hydrogen energy in transport under conditions of large seasonal fluctuations and cold ambient temperatures," according to the HyNor project's official website. The hydrogen infrastructure on the HyNor is intended to be used by "various means of transport: buses, taxis and private cars and varying types of transport systems: urban, inter-city, regional and even long-distance national transport."

More from Mazda after the jump.

Related:

• Mazda's RX-8 Hydrogen RE hits the snow and ice for the first time
• Eleven more hydrogen Priuses from Quantum now driving Norway's Hydrogen Highway
• Miljobil Grenland AS takes delivery of four hydrogen-fueled Pruis hybrids in Norway
• Tokyo Motor Show: Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE hybrid

[Source: Mazda, HyNor]

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., a fully integrated alternative fuel company, has just imported several more of its hydrogen hybrid Toyota Prius' to Heroya Porsgrunn, Norway where they unveiled their first hydrogen refueling station. The goal that this first station is helping to be realized is a hydrogen-fueled highway between Oslo, the capitol, and Stavanger. The 360-mile route will require four additional stations, at least, which will be commissioned by 2009. The goal is to create an infrastructure throughout Scandanavia that enables hydrogen-powered vehicles to travel more freely about the country, enabling a clean mode of transportation. Norway is apparently trying to give the U.K. a run for its money on being the hydrogen leader.

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• Hydrogen Prius' driving Norway's Hyrdogen Highway
• Quantum signs $2.1 million deal in California
• Army looks to Quantum for Portable Hydrogen Refueling

[Source: Quantum]