Wednesday 22 April 2020

Daimler teams up with Volvo in fuel cell venture

Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group have sealed an agreement to establish a joint venture to produce fuel cell systems for heavy-duty vehicles in the second half of the decade.

In a joint announcement, the truckmakers said the project is in line with the Green Deal vision of a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050.

To enable the venture, Daimler Trucks will bring together all fuel cell activities in a new Daimler Truck fuel cell facility.

Part of this agreement is also the allocation of the operations of "Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell GmbH” unit, which has experience in the development of fuel cell and hydrogen storage systems for various vehicle applications, to Daimler Truck AG.

Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler Truck AG and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, said: "Truly carbon-neutral transport can be accomplished through electric drive trains with energy coming either from batteries or by converting hydrogen onboard into electricity.

"This joint initiative with the Volvo Group is a milestone in bringing fuel cell-powered trucks and buses onto our roads."

Martin Lundstedt, Volvo Group President and CEO, said: "By forming this joint venture, we are clearly showing that we believe in hydrogen fuel cells for commercial vehicles.

"But for this vision to become reality, other companies and institutions also need to support and contribute to this development, not least in order to establish the fuel infrastructure needed.”