Alternative Drive Systems – Generation B
Expert talk: Interview with Andreas Truckenbrodt
Andreas Truckenbrodt has accumulated many years of experience in the field of fuel cell vehicles and other alternative drive systems. He worked for Ballard from 2001 to 2002 and was then responsible for fuel cell vehicles at Daimler from 2003 to 2004.
He subsequently headed Daimler’s Hybrid Development Center in Troy, Michigan.
As of February 2008, he has been head of Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC)
in Vancouver.
He subsequently headed Daimler’s Hybrid Development Center in Troy, Michigan.
As of February 2008, he has been head of Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC)
in Vancouver.
Mr. Truckenbrodt, what advantages does AFCC have compared to the previous collaborative alliance between Ballard, Ford, and Daimler?
AFCC can fully concentrate on developing fuel cell stacks for automotive applications and on the goal of taking this technology to the series production stage. This enables us to use all the resources of Daimler and Ford as well as ensuring optimal integration in the vehicles.
With two automakers as partners in the company, do you end up having to serve two masters, or does it actually produce synergies?
We’re very happy to be able to use the expertise of both companies. But it’s also clearly defined that Daimler has the industrial control in the cooperation.
And how are the roles and responsibilities divided up between Daimler, NuCellSys, and AFCC?
Daimler is responsible for the fuel cell vehicle and the entire powertrain — in other words, for integrating all the various components in the powertrain and the vehicle. At AFCC, we’re responsible for the development and production of the fuel cell stack, while NuCellSys is in charge of all the components around the stack. That means that the entire fuel cell powertrain is now in the hands of the automobile manufacturers.
On the technology level, how does AFCC compare to the rest of the competition?
Fuel cell technology has made enormous progress in recent years. We’re confident that AFCC is one of the world leaders in this field. And that’s not only because we’ve developed some excellent technological solutions but also because we’ve got more experience than any of our rivals, with access to data from more than 3.8 million kilometers of customer tests in over 100 fuel cell vehicles worldwide.
Is the development of the fuel cell stack at AFCC oriented toward any particular Daimler specifications or vehicle applications — for example, in relation to passenger cars, buses, or trucks?
We’re concentrating on the development of fuel cell stacks for passenger cars, because this is the application with the biggest potential and the most demanding specifications. But the systems will be modular in such a way that they can also be used in delivery vehicles and buses.
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