MAHLE has reached an agreement with Canadian fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power Systems Inc. to jointly develop fuel cell systems for different heavyweight commercial vehicles in the future. The long-term goal of this cooperation is to supply a complete set of fuel cell systems for the European, North American and Asian markets. In the first phase of the cooperation, Ballard will be mainly responsible for system design related to fuel cell stacks; MAHLE will contribute its expertise in thermal management, power electronics and packaging.
"Hydrogen, which is harmless to the climate and the environment, is a suitable energy carrier for the future, and it is also the key to meeting climate goals for medium and heavy commercial vehicles," commented Dr. Jrg Stratmann, Chairman and CEO of the MAHLE Group Management Board: "The cooperation between MAHLE and Ballard It will vigorously promote the development of fuel cell drive systems suitable for mass production."
"As the policy is increasingly tilted towards low-emission powertrains, we are very pleased to cooperate with MAHLE for the common goal of'carbon-neutral heavy-duty transportation'." said Randy MacEwen, CEO of Ballard Power Systems .
For many years, MAHLE has been a system supplier for fuel cell vehicles. This technology company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany has a particularly strong strength in the fields of complex air intake systems, power electronics and fuel cell temperature control. MAHLE has already begun to expand the product line of hydrogen energy applications in a targeted manner, and has always been striving for policy support for fuel cell technology and hydrogen fuel.