Daimler and Ford end fuel cell JV
The Ford Motor company and Daimler AG are shutting down their joint venture to develop automobile fuel cell technology. Both companies plan to continue development in-house.
According to Ford, the joint venture Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corp, seated in British Columbia, will be shut down this summer. The venture employed about 200 people and was started in 2008. Despite years of research and investment, FCEVs still only make up a small niche market, prompting the change in strategy.
While the companies said in a statement that “Both companies will continue to explore ways to cooperate on developing fuel cell stack modules”, the two companies are following different automobile strategies. Ford‘s plans “will take fuel cell stack development in-house, as well as leverage the supply base”, while Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche indicated earlier this year that the company will focus more on battery-electric vehicles.
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