1
NEWS
Ford joins Euro fuel cell consortium
Daimler, Renault-Nissan Alliance and Ford ramp up fuel cell development with joint project announcementRenault-Nissan, Daimler and Ford have announced a joint technology development deal designed to help all three get a fuel cell drivetrain to market by 2017. The news follows hot on the heels of a similar announcement by BMW and Toyota.
Global development of hydrogen fuel cell systems is on the up with multiple big-name car makers making joint development announcements within days of each other.
The trio aims to leverage each partner’s global resources and reach to jointly develop a common FCEV drivetrain flexible enough to turn into “highly differentiated, separately branded fuel cell electric vehicles” in a way that maximises the value of every dollar invested. Investment input is equal among the three. Daimler had planned to go to market with such a system by 2015, but the economies of scale the joint project delivers in launching what the group describes in a statement as “the world’s first affordable, mass-market FCEVs” override the benefits of going it alone.
The group is explicit in the political intentions behind the move, saying in the statement “the collaboration sends a signal to suppliers, policymakers and the industry to encourage further development of hydrogen refuelling stations and other infrastructure necessary to allow the vehicles to be mass-marketed.”
To that end, in the same way as BMW and Toyota have vowed, it has said it will take part in establishing global component and infrastructure specifications and standards to hasten the growth of a global market.
“We are convinced that fuel cell vehicles will play a central role for zero-emission mobility in the future. This co-operation will make technology available for many customers around the globe,” said Thomas Weber, head of R&D at Daimler, in the statement.
“Working together will significantly help speed this technology to market at a more affordable cost to our customers, added Raj Nair, Ford’s group VP of global product development. “We will all benefit from this relationship as the resulting solution will be better than any one company working alone.”
As a solution to the conflict between mass mobility and environmental sustainability, fuel-cell technology offers plenty. Hydrogen fuel cells generate electrical energy through a chemical reaction between hydrogen stored in a pressure tank and oxygen drawn from the air. It emits only water vapour. The primary problem facing makers lies in the volatility of hydrogen, the commonest of gases but among the hardest to isolate and store, although the Germans already seem to have a long-term blueprint for a hydrogen society.
Picture shows from left to right: Raj Nair, Group Vice President, Global Product Development, Ford Motor Company, Prof. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development and Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Executive Vice President of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Share this article
Written byJeremy Bass
See all articlesOur team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Stay up to dateBecome a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.
Subscribe todaySell your car with Instant Offer™
Like trade-in but price is regularly higher
1. Get a free Instant Offer™ online in minutes2. An official local dealer will inspect your car3. Finalise the details and get paid the next business day
Get a free Instant Offer
Related articles
Disclaimer
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
Love every move.
Buy it. Sell it.Love it.
®Contact
Advertise with us
Local marketplaces
International marketplaces
Scan to download the carsales app
Want more info? Here’s our app landing page
App Store and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo
are trademarks of Google LLC.