The future market for light duty fuel cell vehicles looks set to be dominated by a few key players who have embarked on aggressive programmes of development, the latest study from Pike Research suggests.
In recent years, auto makers have diverged in their development of fuel cell vehicles, some pushing ahead and others pulling back. At the same time, only a few new players have entered the arena, leaving a few key names in the best position in the formative stage of the market; Daimler and Honda.
A new Pike Pulse report reveals that Daimler scores the highest in the developing a path to commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles (FCV), thanks in part to its strong relationships with infrastructure and government partners and its recent announcement to partner with Linde on infrastructure development. However, Daimler, the parent firm of smart and Mercedes-Benz among others, has made ambitious announcements on fuel cell technology readiness in the past, and these failed to come to fruition. The company recently moved up its target date to 2014 from 2015, following its recent round the world trip in three prototype B-Class F-Cell fuel cell vehicles. Pike warns if this new target slips then Daimler’s position could quickly change.
Honda is the runner-up in Pike Research’s analysis, based on the high-quality execution of its trial of the FCX Clarity fuel cell car, still under tests in Japan and the US. Despite being the first to produce a commercial fuel cell vehicle, the Japanese car takes second place to its German rival, although its efforts to lay the groundwork for a commercial launch were praised, and its continued public commitment to FCV commercialization. Yet, the market analysts firm suggests that Honda must be careful in regards to the slow rollout of its Clarity model; as if the rollout doesn’t speed up, it could lose its place in the market.
The 10 car makers in rated in order of fuel cell vehicle progress are;
1. Daimler
2. Honda
3. Toyota
4. Hyundai-Kia
5. General Motors (GM)
6. SAIC Motor Corp.
7. Nissan/Renault
8. Ford
9. BMW
10. Riversimple
“Automakers will continue to refine their products between now and the 2014/2015 deadline for commercial launch,” says senior analyst Lisa Jerram. “In order to meet this target, the OEMs must continue to test and refine their fuel cell systems as well as the vehicle integration and optimization. They will also be focused on driving down vehicle costs.”
The “Pike Pulse Report: Light-Duty Fuel Cell Vehicles” evaluates 10 auto OEMs working on fuel cell vehicles and rates them on 12 criteria for strategy and execution, including go-to-market strategy, product portfolio, partnerships, innovation, reach, market share, pricing, and staying power.
