Ballard Power Systems and Quantron AG have entered into a strategic partnership for the development of hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks, scheduled for deployment in the second half of 2022.

The partnership is expected to accelerate deployment and market adoption of fuel cell technologies. The combined, complementary expertise of Ballard and Quantron will enable broader customer access to zero-emissions fuel cell electric trucks without compromising on range, payload, vehicle utilisation or total cost of ownership.

Initial collaboration will focus on the integration of Ballard’s FCmove family of heavy-duty fuel cell power modules into Quantron’s electric drivetrain and vehicles. Fuel cell electric truck platforms currently in development include a 7.5t delivery truck, a 44t heavy duty truck and a municipal waste collection truck.

In Europe, various government subsidies and incentives will be available to vehicle fleet operators. Specifically, Germany has recently committed to covering up to 80% of conversion costs from internal combustions engines to alternative drives through the e-mobility support program.

“The combination of both companies’ expertise will deliver high performance hydrogen trucks to respond to the growing demand for zero-emission vehicles from fleet operators and unlock new business opportunities for medium and heavy-duty fuel cell trucks in Germany,” said Robert Campbell, chief customer officer at Ballard Power Systems.

“Ballard is bringing its 8th generation of heavy-duty fuel cell power module experience built upon over 85 million kilometres of road service from over 3,500 buses and trucks powered by our leading PEM technology today.”

Andreas Haller, founder and Chairman of Quantron AG, said the partnership marks an important milestone for the company’s global growth.

“The cooperation with Ballard enables us to bring customised hydrogen commercial vehicles with fuel cell electric drives to the market,” he says. “Today we embark on a journey of joint development and production of fuel cell electric commercial vehicles.”