Daimler Truck Coordinates Fuel Cell Activities With New Company
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Daimler Truck AG has established Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co., the organizational and legal framework intended to bring together all of the group’s fuel cell activities. It is intended as a precursor step ahead of joint efforts with Volvo Group disclosed in April.
Andreas Gorbach and Christian Mohrdieck will serve as managing directors of the new company, according to the Stuttgart, Germany-based company, a unit of Daimler AG.
Most recently, Gorbach assumed responsibility for all fuel cell matters at Daimler Truck AG. This will continue in his additional position as CEO of Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG.
Mohrdieck, in charge of fuel cell development at the Daimler Group since 2003, is managing director of the current fuel cell development unit Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell GmbH, which will be allocated to the newly founded subsidiary.
Daum
“The fuel cell is a crucial CO2-neutral solution for trucks in heavy long-distance transport. We and our future joint venture partner, Volvo Group, are convinced of this. We are determined to jointly tackle the development and series production of fuel cells and are now taking major steps with all the necessary preparations for the planned joint venture,” Daimler Truck Chairman Martin Daum said in a news release.
Daimler Truck concluded a preliminary, nonbinding agreement with Volvo Group in April to establish a joint venture for the development, production and commercialization of fuel cell systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and other applications such as stationary use.
“Our new subsidiary is to be the immediate predecessor organization of the joint venture,” Daum said. It is intended to transition into this planned joint venture. Volvo Group will acquire 50% of the company for this purpose.
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Joining forces will decrease development costs for both companies and accelerate the market introduction of fuel cell systems in products used for heavy-duty transport and demanding longhaul applications, the companies said. In the context of the current economic downturn, cooperation has become even more necessary to meet the Green Deal objectives in Europe within a feasible time frame.
The joint venture will include operations in Germany with production facilities in Germany and Canada.
Daimler Truck and Volvo Group reported they plan to start series production of heavy-duty fuel cell commercial vehicles for long-distance hauling in the second half of the decade.
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