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Saturday, November 10, 2007 Daimler, Ford, Ballard Create Fuel Cell Development Partnership
VANCOUVER, CANADA – Daimler AG will be the majority shareholder in a new partnership with Ford Motor Company and Ballard Power Systems to develop fuel cell technology for cars and buses. Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation will be managed by Daimler and Ford with their collective 80.1 percent stake in the new company, while Ballard will hold the remaining stake of 19.9 percent. In return, Daimler AG and Ford will retransfer their total stake in Ballard. The new company will employ approximately 150 people. “We have identified the future fields of activity and key technologies for zero-emission mobility and we are investing specifically in expanding our competencies in these fields,” said Thomas Weber, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG with responsibility for Group Research as well as for Development within Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Our majority stake and partnership with Ford in Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation is a logical step in this direction.” Ford Motor Company currently has a fleet of 30 hydrogen-powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide, seven-city program to conduct real world testing of fuel cell technology. The 30-car fleet has accumulated more than 600,000 miles (965,000 kilometers) since its inception in 2005. Ford also is conducting tests with the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive. The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive uses a series electric drivetrain with an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator to give the vehicle a range of 225 miles with zero emissions. Ford currently offers two gasoline-electric hybrids, the Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The company will begin production of hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan in 2008. “The fuel cell remains one of the most viable solutions to develop a sustainable, zero-emissions vehicle,” said Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, Ford vice president for Research and Advanced Engineering. “The creation of the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation is an investment in our future. Fuel cells are the technology of the future and we are happy to be working with a great partner like Daimler to advance this technology. Through this partnership, we will work even harder to make fuel cell technology even more reliable and affordable for the future.” The creation of AFCC will allow Daimler and Ford to concentrate on automotive fuel cell technology while Ballard will emphasize their future efforts on the marketing of non-automotive fuel cell applications. For more information regarding Ford’s products, click on FordVehicles.Com
Author: Staff Writer Source: MITechNews.Com
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