Daimler and Volvo teamed up to power hydrogen

Daimler and Volvo Trucks will join forces to develop fuel cell technology for trucks and buses, Reuters reports. According to the agency’s comment, the crisis across the coronavirus will encourage the creation of more alliances. “The general objective of the two companies is to offer heavy fuel cell vehicles for long distance transportation“The plan is the first such system available on the market in the second half of this decade.”

Japanese Fuso fuel cell truck, Daimler brand

Under Daimler’s hat are light and heavy vehicles with the Mercedes-Benz logo, as well as Freightliner, Mitsubishi Fuso, Thomas Built Buses and bus maker Setra.

Volvo Trucks is a separate company from Volvo Cars, although the latter’s Chinese owner, Geely, also acquired a 14 percent stake in the trucking business some time ago. The Swedish group also includes other truck brands, such as Mack Trucks, Renault Trucks, and UD Trucks.

The new joint venture of the two groups will be registered as a separate company and in the other areas they will remain competitors. The objective of the merger is, above all, to share the enormous development costs of the new technology. Because Daimler is so much more advanced in the field of fuel cells, Volvo Trucks will pay around € 600 million.have a 50% stake in the joint venture.

Hydrogen powered tractor at American startup Nikola. Fuel cells seem like a more practical solution for long-distance transportation, and building truck and bus infrastructure alone won’t require as much investment as automobiles.

Hydrogen-fueled fuel cells are considered by experts to be the only way to dramatically reduce transport greenhouse gas emissions. Due to long distances and loads using battery powered trucks seems financially unjustified – The batteries must be huge, extremely expensive and with very long charging times.