In April 2010, the Renault-Nissan Alliance joined forces with Daimler AG to develop next-generation small-car technologies and powertrains for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Now, Ford Motor Company is joining the coalition "to accelerate the commercialization of fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology."
The collaboration's goal is to jointly develop a common FCEV system while reducing the investment costs associated with the engineering of the technology. Each company will reportedly invest equally toward the project, with the ultimate goal being to launch the world's first affordable, mass-market FCEVs "as early as 2017."
Combined, Daimler, Ford and Nissan reportedly have more than 60 years of experience developing FCEVs that have logged more than 10,000,000km in test drives around the world.
Powered by electricity generated from hydrogen and oxygen, FCEVs emit only water while driving and are considered complementary to today's battery electric vehicles. It will also help expand the range of zero-emission transportation options available to consumers.
"Working together will significantly help speed this technology to market at a more affordable cost to our customers," said Ford Motor Company's group vice president for global product development, Raj Nair. "We will all benefit from this relationship as the resulting solution will be better than any one company working alone."
