BMW & GM to partner on Fuel Cell technology
We recently revealed the BMW are to partner with Toyota to deliver diesel engines for Toyota in Europe and to work on next generation lithium ion battery technology. But it looks like it’s not just Toyota BMW are happy to play with. It now looks as though they’re about to team up with GM on fuel cell technology.
Reuters in Germany are reporting that talks are at a very advanced stage between GM and BMW on fuel cell technology. The report says that BMW and GM are very close to signing a cooperation agreement.
The pan being discussed would give BMW access to GM’s fuel cell technology and in return BMW would contribute to the ongoing research costs. GM refused to comment on the report, but BMW has confirmed that they are speaking to GM about future technologies, but refused to elaborate beyond that.
As the cost of developing new technology continues to increase, car makers are being forced in to more technology sharing agreements to keep costs in check. And it makes a lot of sense. Car buyers buy a car based on the package offered by the car maker and no one worries where the component parts come from.
If they did, no one would pay premium prices for cars like the Jaguar XJ and Range Rover, which both have Ford engines under the bonnet, and no prospective BMW buyer is instead going to opt for a Toyota simply because it has a BMW diesel engine.
Source: Reuters
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