cellcentric starts pilot production of fuel cell systems
cellcentric has inaugurated pilot production for fuel cell systems at its site in Esslingen-Pliensauvorstadt, Germany, taking another significant step towards large-scale production.
cellcentric is working towards supplying fuel cells on a large scale by the end of the decade, when fuel cell powered long-haul heavy-duty trucks are predicted to become a key technology for sustainable transportation.
The company's goal is to develop, produce and distribute fuel cell systems on a large scale in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg that achieve the best possible total cost of ownership (TCO) in the competitive transportation industry. In addition, cellcentric intends to cover the entire fuel cell ecosystem – from the product itself to maintenance and recycling at the end of its life cycle.
“Fuel cell technology is a well-proven solution for CO2-neutral long-distance heavy-duty transportation. However, it has not yet been produced on an industrial scale, which is precisely the key to achieving economies of scale, optimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO) and putting cellcentric in a solid competitive position in the long term,” says Lars Johansson, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Organizational Officer of cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG, in a press release.
Lars Johansson continues to say that the opening of the company's pilot production facility in Esslingen is not the end point of large-scale production, but rather the blueprint for the next step.
“In the coming years, we will continue to consistently drive forward the industrialization and scaling of production of fuel cell systems at the Weilheim site.”
More than 100 employees have over 10,300 square meters of production, logistics and office/administration space at their disposal.
In a next step, cellcentric will establish the necessary production processes at the site to prepare for the start of large-scale production of fuel cell systems with a high degree of vertical integration. With complete production at one location and a high level of automation, the company secures stable long-term economic development.
