Mercedes-Benz Opens Fuel Cell Facility in BC, Creates Tech Jobs

BC’s fuell cell cluster is like no other.

A remarkable 77% of the entire world’s fuel cell research and development expenditure occurs in BC alone.

This is significant when one considers that the global market for fuel cell energy technology is expected to be worth more than $8.5 billion by 2016.

So it wasn’t a huge surprise that luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz selected BC over the likes of Detroit and California to open its next fuel cell production and technology development facility outside of Vancouver this month. The new facility is expected to create at least 50 jobs, most of them in technology and science fields.

“BC’s greatest resource is our people,” says Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, “and nowhere is that more apparent than in our fuel cell development sector.”

“The Mercedes-Benz investment in our province is a huge vote of confidence in B.C.’s future,” Patt added, “and an enormous opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in the development of this important technology.”

“Our company has always had an unwavering commitment to innovation,” affirmed Tim Reuss, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, “and we recognize that this same spirit exists here in British Columbia.”

“We applaud the province’s multi-faceted, forward-thinking approach that has encouraged the concentration of many brilliant minds focused on research and development in this region,” Tim added. “There is no better place to open the world’s first facility dedicated to the production and production technology development of fuel cell stacks.”