Technical development trends of North America and Europe
Daimler-Chrysler and Ford have developed their own fuel cell with Ballad that is fuel cell making company, as their partnership of strategic alliance. The company named Ballad is established in 1982 and has made new way to use a fuel cell which fuel cell could be as a power source of cars through the advanced technology that improves the generating capacity of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC).
Daimler-Chrysler (at that time, Daimler-Benz) took notice of Ballad’s new technology therefore they made their partnership at 1993 and invested 15 million dollars into Ballad at 1996. Moreover, Ford also financed and joined their partnership so the ‘Ballad allied force’ became a leader of the developing FCV field. Ballad does not supply their fuel cell for only their partner, Daimler-Chrysler and Ford, but other car-making companies, GM, Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen and Volvo.
Daimler-Chrysler is a front-runner of FCV field. In 1993, Daimler-Chrysler presented its first fuel cell powered vehicle, NECAR 1. The electrochemical power plant was installed on board a 3.5 ton van, where the energy generated by fuel cells was used to power an electric motor. The 800 kilograms' worth of energy-producing componentry took up the Mercedes-Benz van's entire load space, only leaving room for the two front seats. The NECAR 1 could attain a top speed of 90 km/h. In November 2000, DaimlerChrysler unveiled NECAR 5, a fuel-cell car suitable for practical operation which was fueled by hydrogenous methanol. A technological descendant of the NECAR 3, it could reach speeds of up to 150 km/h. The entire drive system, including the methanol reformer, was again fitted into the underfloor of a Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Measured against the NECA ...