Mercedes-Benz to head up fuel cell development initiative

Mercedes-Benz is heading up a new corporation established to propagate the development of fuel cell technology for automotive applications, it has been revealed.

While Mercedes-Benz had previously worked jointly with both Ford Motor Company and Ballard Power Systems on fuel cell development, the shareholding breakdown of the new Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation venture is more slanted in the German company's favour.

Mercedes-Benz holds 50.1 per cent of shares and will therefore take a leading role in the project, while Ford holds 30 per cent and Ballard - which recently announced its decision to concentrate on stationary fuel cell development - will hold the balance.

As Ballard is merely maintaining a financial interest in operations, work which had previously been undertaken by the firm will continue under the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation banner, and employees involved in the projects are to be transferred to the new enterprise.

The new operation will be headed by Dr Andreas Truckenbrodt.

"We will take over from Ballard the automotive fuel cell development," he told ninemsn.

"What we felt was not because Ballard did a bad job, but the whole fuel cell system design and development has so much to do with the whole vehicle."


© Adfero Ltd

Source: Adfero