The presentation provides an overview on the status of European/North American fuel cell commercialisation, what types of fuel cell applications are in use and identifies what the current trends are. It presents the California Fuel Cell Partnership as one example of how joint efforts between companies and political agencies are promoting the fuel cell technology. It also illustrates how influences, such as the fluctuation of the crude oil prices of the past, have impacted the progress of developing renewable technologies. Furthermore, it explains the reasons for a substantial new product growth rate to reach 100 million US customers by 2007. An outlook of the future will show what could be the general conditions for the commercialisation of fuel cells. (C) 2003 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.