Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG Join Hands to Launch New Joint Venture Cellcentric

Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group outline their pioneering roadmap for the latest fuel-cell joint venture cellcentric.

FREMONT, CA: Two leaders of the commercial vehicle industry – Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group – officially outlines their pioneering roadmap for the new fuel-cell joint venture cellcentric industry-first commitment to boost the use of hydrogen-based fuel cells for long-haul trucks and beyond. With the ambition of becoming a global manufacturer of fuel-cell systems, cellcentric will develop one of Europe’s biggest planned series production of fuel-cell systems, with operation commencing in 2025. To boost the rollout of hydrogen-based fuel cells, the two cellcentric shareholders call for a harmonized EU hydrogen policy framework to help the technology become a viable commercial solution.

These ambitions were revealed as part of a digital launch, headed by Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Truck AG, and Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group. Developed to help meet the 2050 targets of sustainable transport and a carbon-neutral Europe as part of the European Green Deal, cellcentric will produce and commercialize fuel-cell systems for long-haul trucking and other uses. The joint venture can draw on expertise and development work from both Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group.

As CO2-neutral trucks are currently expensive than conventional vehicles, a policy framework must ensure demand and affordability. According to Daimler Truck AG and Volvo, this should comprise incentives for CO2-neutral techs and a taxation system powered by carbon and energy content. An emissions trading system is an additional choice.

Daimler Truck AG’s and Volvo Group’s vision is to begin customer tests of fuel-cell trucks in the production of fuel-cell trucks. All vehicle-related activities are performed independently from each other. Both firms remain competitors in all vehicle and product ranges, especially in fuel-cell integration solutions for all products. More than 300 specialized experts work for cell centric in inter-disciplinary teams at Nabern, Stuttgart, and Burnaby. Around 700 individual patents have been issued so far, underlining the pioneering role played by the firm when it comes to technological development.