Daimler chief executive, Dieter Zetsche, has said that he is confident that fuel cell vehicles will be on sale within the next five to eight years, and that they will compare favourably with current technology.
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He told Wirtschaftswoche the question now is whether a hydrogen infrastructure can be put in place to support vehicle developments and whether the energy balance of the hydrogen delivers any real carbon benefit.
Zetsche said the advantage of fuel cells over electric cars is that they have a range of around 300 miles (500km) on one tank of fuel. The range of electric batteries is limited to around 95 miles (150km) and requires a charge of five to six hours.
Zetsche also reaffirmed the European automotive industry trade association (ACEA) view that EU proposals to limit average CO2 emissions to 120g/km by 2012 are not achievable as 60% of the cars that will be on the market in 2012 are already on sale today.
Zetsche also said a decision on a new plant in eastern Europe would be made in the second quarter of the year and possible locations include Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania.
He added he could envisage a future acquisition in the truck market. Daimler is looking for opportunities in Russia, in particular.
