The Daimler Trucks chief of staff wants to invest in clean technology in Germany

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FRANKFURT - Daimler Trucks, which will part with its parent company later this year, is expected to invest a large part of a fund of 1.5 billion euros in cleaner technology in Germany, according to the Chairman of the Works Council, Michael Brecht.

Daimler announced the fund on February 3, along with plans to spin off the world's largest truck and bus manufacturer in order to strengthen its attractiveness for investors as a luxury electric car company.

Daimler Trucks has a global presence and in April announced a joint venture with the Swedish company Volvo Trucks.

In an interview with the newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung, Brecht was asked how the German employees he represented would benefit from the fund.

"We will develop new project proposals for individual locations with which we can support additional jobs and the conversion to new drive technologies," he replied.

When asked if the money could be used for investments like self-driving software startups in America, Brecht said, "The money is not going to be used for old acquisitions."

Regarding the potential expenses of the Volvo company in Sweden, he said: "The fuel cell powertrain must be manufactured at one of our locations (in Germany). There is no doubt about it. ""

Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Trucks, told Reuters on Tuesday that a full range of zero-emission commercial vehicles could be ready by 2027, but that implementation will require further investment. He also highlighted growth opportunities in China, India and other markets such as Indonesia.

($ 1 = 0.8252 euros) (Information from Vera Eckert. Mark Potter Edition)

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