Three Automakers Combine Forces on Fuel-Cell Cars An existing fuel-cell alliance between Ford and Daimler added a third partner, Nissan Motor, on Monday to form a new international brain trust to develop hydrogen technology. The companies hope to start the "world's first affordable, mass-market fuel-cell electric vehicles as early as 2017," they said in a statement. The three companies agreed to share costs equally on the development of a common fuel-cell stack and other systems "to speed up availability of zero-emission technology and significantly reduce investment costs." At a news conference in Germany, Thomas Weber, Daimler's research and development head, said the partners would produce 100,000 vehicles, though the time frame was unclear. Alan Hall, a Ford spokesman, said in a telephone interview, "We're not talking about volumes in terms of our participation." The strategic fuel-cell partnership between major automakers complements a similar compact between BMW and Toyota, completed last week. The two companies had earlier said they would work together on developing new technology. Daimler had previously said it would commercialize a fuel-cell car in 2014 or 2015, so the new later date represents something of a strategic retreat, said Peter Hoffmann, editor and publisher of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Letter. But Mr. Hoffmann also said in an interview that the three-way announcement was "very positive" because it would result in a stronger alliance. In an e-mail, Matthias Brock, a spokesman for Daimler, described the company's new time frame as "a revised planning." Mr. Brock added: "In fact, we skip the planned intermediate step with lower volumes and go directly toward large-scale production. All partners together plan to bring a five-digit number of fuel-cell electric vehicles on the market. Carla Bailo, senior vice president for research and development at Nissan Americas, said in an e-mail that fuel cell technology was "the logical next step" in the company's introduction of zero-emission vehicles. She said the company's current development work on fuel cells began in 1996, and by 2012 it had reduced the cost of its proprietary stack to a sixth of a similar 2005 unit. "This progress has helped to convince us that Nissan will be ready to provide an affordable, fuel-cell electric vehicle to the mass market as the infrastructure to support comes on stream," she said. Byron McCormick, the former executive director of General Motors' fuel-cell program, said in an interview that the new partnership made "perfect business sense," because large orders of components could persuade suppliers to reduce costs. Ford and Daimler are already working together in the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation, started in 2008 and based in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Hall said that fuel-cell stack work would continue in Vancouver, as well as in other parts of the world. "We're combining the experience of three global automakers," Mr. Hall said. Ford sees fuel cells as a complement to our current strategy of offering customers a choice of fuel-efficient options, including battery electrics, hybrids, diesels and gasoline direct injection. Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance have also worked together on development of fuel-efficient powertrain technology, said Travis Parman, a Nissan Americas spokesman. A major hurdle in the commercialization of the fuel-cell car is the need for networks of hydrogen stations in potential deployment markets, including California. In announcing their alliance, the three automakers said their collaboration "sends a clear signal to suppliers, policy makers and the industry to encourage further development of hydrogen refueling stations and other infrastructure necessary to allow the vehicles to be mass-marketed." Monika Wagener, a spokeswoman for Ford in Europe, said in a telephone interview that fuel-cell vehicles could overcome the range limitations of battery electric vehicles, assuming the hydrogen infrastructure had been established.