Daimler Ramps Up Effort To Launch Hydrogen-Powered Cars
10 September 2009 - 2:02PM
Dow Jones News
Daimler AG (DAI) Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche confirmed
Thursday that hydrogen-powered cars should be ready for large-scale
production by 2015, just after several major automakers pledged to
ramp up efforts to commercialize the technology for emission-free
driving.
"We will bring costs to a competitive level, prepare large-scale
production and of course continue to work on the technology,"
Zetsche said at a press briefing in Berlin, according to a prepared
statement.
At the briefing, representatives of several utilities, gas and
energy companies such as Linde AG (LIN.XE), Vattenfall Group and
OMV AG (OMV.VI) signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a
network of hydrogen fueling stations in Germany as part of a joint
initiative.
Ensuring that drivers can fill up their vehicles wherever they
go is a precondition for a broader use of the technology.
But hydrogen technology still faces some prominent critics. In
July, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he wanted to axe
funding for research and development on cars that run on hydrogen
fuel cells, partly because they would require the creation of a
network of fueling stations.
The U.S. government has spent roughly $1.5 billion since 2001 on
hydrogen fuel-cell research. Chu argued that improved
internal-combustion engines and plug-in electric vehicles were more
realistic technologies for cutting oil consumption over the next 20
to 30 years.
However, Zetsche said General Motors Co., Adam Opel GmbH, Honda
Motor Co. (7267.TO), Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO), Nissan Motor Co.
(7201.TO), Renault SA (RNO.FR), Ford Motor Co. (F) and Hyundai-Kia
(005380.SE) will push hydrogen technology forward, in addition to
Daimler.
He said from 2015 on "several hundred thousand electric cars
with fuel cells will be produced," noting that Daimler will present
a hydrogen fuel cell version of its compact Mercedes-Benz B-Class
model at the Frankfurt auto show next week.
Electric cars and alternative drivetrains are expected to be in
the spotlight in Frankfurt as automakers feel rising pressure to
make their cars more environmentally friendly amid tightening
emission regulations worldwide and a growing awareness among
consumers for green issues.
According to previous statements, Daimler is starting
small-scale series production of the hydrogen-powered B-Class model
this year. Production is expected to be around 200 cars in 2009 and
pave the way for large-scale production from 2015 on.
Daimler executive board member Thomas Weber told Dow Jones in a
recent interview that Daimler has so far invested around EUR1
billion in research and development costs for fuel-cell technology
and pledged to keep up investing in this field.
He said by 2015 hydrogen-powered cars would have to be
cost-efficient enough to attract a broader range of customers.
"Customers will only buy these cars if they're just about a few
thousand euros more expensive than cars with a conventional engine,
but not more," Weber said.
Company Web site: www.daimler.com
-By Christoph Rauwald, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29 725 512;
christoph.rauwald@dowjones.com
(Stephen Power of The Wall Street Journal in Washington
contributed to this article.)