On Monday, January 28th, Nissan Daimler, and Ford announced that they are joining forces on creating a new common fuel-cell system that will be put to use in what the companies call “the world’s first affordable, mass-market” fuel-cell vehicle.

All three of these companies are going to equally invest in this project, and they say that the fuel-cell tech could be ready to hit the roads as early as 2017. Together, Daimler, Nissan and Ford have logged over 10 million km in test drives in their own individual fuel-cell vehicles. To make sure that consumers don’t think it is just a rebadged version of the same car, each company will install this new technology in very different vehicles once it is ready.

“Fuel cell electric vehicles are the obvious next step to complement today’s battery electric vehicles as our industry embraces more sustainable transportation,” said Mitsuhiko Yamashita, board of directors member and executive VP of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

In means of helping define global specifications and component standards in all parts of the world, the development will take place in several locations around the world. The collaboration may also lead to the production of other fuel cell components.