Daimler and Toyota are considering a cooperation to develop fuel cells to use in electrically powered cars, according to the Financial Times Deutschland.
Neither firm has made any definitive statement regarding a joint development programme for the alternative fuel systems, but an unnamed source at Daimler told the financial paper; "There is strong interest in sharing development costs”.
Fuel cells are expensive to produce and have so far taken second place to battery-powered cars due to their high cost and a lack of refuelling infrastructure.
Daimler has already invested more than 1 billion euros into fuel cell technology since 1994. Both carmakers have produced fuel cell prototypes such as Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell and Toyota’s Highlander FCHV.
Toyota has also outlined plans to put its first hydrogen fuelled vehicle on the road by 2015.
