Mercedes-Benz announces F-CELL World Drive in Detroit

Mercedes-Benz has announced at the North American Auto Show in Detroit that at the end of this month the brand will be starting a journey around the world with its B-Class F-CELL. The journey has been called F-CELL World Drive and will have as goal to demonstrate the efficiency and suitability for everyday use of fuel cell technology. Mercedes-Benz will also be campaigning for the development of a global hydrogen filling station network.

The F-CELL World Drive will start on January 30 and will last for 125 days. During this time, the B-Class F-CELL will drive through four continents, experiencing a wide variety of climates and routes, from asphalt streets to unpaved roads.

"With this unique circumnavigation of the world we are emphasizing the high level of technical maturity of our electric vehicles with fuel cell. Such an undertaking would not be possible, using purely battery-powered electric vehicles.", explains Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Development Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The 125-day journey will be passing in 14 different countries. It will start by Southern European countries France, Spain and Portugal. It will then cross the Atlantic Ocean and drive through the USA and Canada. The journey will then head to Australia and continues to Asia. Starting in China the cars will then pass through Kazakhstan, Russia and finally northern Europe, where the tour will end in Stuttgart at the beginning of June.

The B-Class F-CELL is a vehicle that is suited for both everyday use in urban areas as well as longer journeys, as it combines a high, emission-free range of around 400 km with short refilling times. The B-Class F-CELL is powered by a new-generation electric drive system powered by a fuel cell that generates the electrical power on board thanks to a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen.