Mercedes F-CELL Coming to the U.S. in 2010

Sep 8

Written by: Aaron Turpen   174 views    

Published on September 8th, 2009 in Electric Cars

Mercedes-Benz has a new hydrogen fuel cell car, the B-Class F-Cell.  The car has a top speed of 170km/h (106mph), a range of 385km (239 miles) and an output of 100kW/136hp and 290Nm torque.  Wow!

The little car is the first series-produced fuel cell car on the road and performs similarly to the 2.0 litre gasoline car it’s chassis is based on.  It uses the equivalent of just 3.3 litres of diesel per 100km, giving it phenomenal mileage.

The first round of 200 vehicles will be split between Europe and America with the cars coming to the U.S. being leased mostly in areas with already-established hydrogen fueling infrastructures.  This means the New York area and Southern California and possibly Oregon/Washington on the coast.

The heart of the F-CELL is the newest generation of Mercedes-Benz’ compact fuel cell system, which features excellent cold-start capabilities–one of the crux’s of fuel cell vehicles is the elements need to be warm enough to cause the hydro-oxy mix.  This new cell can operate in temperatures as low as -25°C.

This is a totally redeveloped version of the first public Mercedes F-CELL, called the A-Class, which debuted in 2004.  There are some big differences in output between the two, with this newer series and a much better operating range as well.

The Li-Ion battery pack in the B-Class has a 35kW/1.4kWh capacity and the car also features regenerative braking.  It takes about 3 minutes to fill the hydrogen tank from a filling station pump.  All of the drive train components are almost entirely encased in the under-floor, allowing for full trunk (boot) space and interior room.

These cars should be considered mid-range luxury vehicles, with all of the amenities you expect from a Mercedes.  This is also a good way, I think, for Mercedes to justify some of the cost that will likely be prohibitive for the near future on this car.

There is no word on what the price would be, although Mercedes has made it clear it will be a lease-only vehicle (much like the Honda Clarity) for now.  The car has gone through several crash tests and other approvals and is expected to be on the road in both Europe and North America in the first quarter of 2010.

Source: Jalopnik

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