Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group have outlined a highway map for the brand new fuel-cell three way partnership cellcentric as a part of an industry-first dedication to speed up the usage of hydrogen-based gas cells for long-haul vehicles and past. In accordance with the businesses, cellcentric will construct one among Europe’s largest deliberate sequence manufacturing of fuel-cell programs, with operation to start out in 2025. To speed up the rollout of hydrogen-based fuel-cells, the 2 cellcentric shareholders name for a harmonized EU hydrogen coverage framework to assist the expertise in changing into a viable industrial resolution.

Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG signed the fuel-cell joint venture agreement in late 2020.
 
The announcement was a part of a digital launch led by Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Truck AG, and Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group. Designed to assist meet the 2050 targets of sustainable transport and a carbon-neutral Europe as a part of the European Inexperienced Deal, cellcentric will develop, produce and commercialize fuel-cell programs for each long-haul trucking and different purposes. The three way partnership can draw on many years of experience and improvement work from each Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group.
 
In accordance with Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group, purely battery-electric and hydrogen-based fuel-cell vehicles will complement one another relying on the person buyer use case. Battery energy can be used for decrease cargo weights and for shorter distances, whereas fuel-cell energy will be the popular choice for heavier masses and longer distances.
 
Martin Daum, chairman of the Board of Administration of Daimler Truck AG and member of the Board of Administration of Daimler AG, says: “Hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electrical vehicles can be key for enabling carbon-neutral transportation sooner or later. Together with pure battery-electric drives, it permits us to supply our clients one of the best genuinely regionally carbon-neutral automobile choices, relying on the applying. Battery-electric vehicles alone won’t make this attainable. Along with our accomplice Volvo Group, we’re subsequently totally dedicated to our fuel-cell three way partnership cellcentric and we’re each pushing ahead the event of the expertise in addition to the sequence manufacturing preparations. Relating to the mandatory hydrogen infrastructure, it’s clear that inexperienced hydrogen is the one smart manner ahead in the long run.”
 
Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group, says: “Our united ambition is to satisfy the targets within the Paris settlement of changing into carbon-neutral by 2050 on the newest. We’re satisfied that hydrogen fuel-cell expertise performs a necessary function in serving to us attain that milestone. However we all know there may be a lot extra to attain than simply the electrification of machines and autos. There must be better cooperation between private and non-private stakeholders to develop the mandatory expertise and infrastructure, which is why we’re calling for united motion from policymakers and governments world wide in serving to us make hydrogen fuel-cell expertise successful. Partnerships like cellcentric are very important to our dedication to decarbonizing highway transport.”
 
The key truck producers in Europe, additionally backed by Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group, are subsequently calling for the arrange of round 300 high-performance hydrogen refuelling stations appropriate for heavy-duty autos by 2025 and of round 1,000 hydrogen refuelling stations no later than 2030 in Europe. This joint initiative, utilizing hydrogen as a provider of inexperienced electrical energy to energy electrical vehicles in long-haul operations, is one vital a part of decarbonizing highway transport.
 
As carbon-neutral vehicles are at present considerably dearer than standard autos, a coverage framework is required to make sure demand and affordability. In accordance with Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group, this could embrace incentives for carbon-neutral applied sciences and a taxation system based mostly on carbon and vitality content material. An emissions buying and selling system may very well be an extra choice.

Clear highway map towards sequence manufacturing of fuel-cell programs and fuel-cell vehicles

At present, cellcentric is conceptualizing the plans for its large-scale sequence manufacturing. Extra particulars and a choice on the placement can be revealed over the course of 2022. As a big step towards sequence manufacturing, preparations for pre-series manufacturing are going down at a brand new website in Esslingen close to Stuttgart. In parallel, cellcentric is scaling up on-going prototype output.  

Daimler Truck AG’s and Volvo Group’s purpose is to start out with buyer assessments of fuel-cell vehicles in about three years and to be in sequence manufacturing of fuel-cell vehicles through the second half of this decade. All vehicle-related actions are carried out independently from one another, as each firms stay rivals in all automobile and product ranges, and notably in fuel-cell integration options for all merchandise.