Mercedes-Benz F Cell climaxes with World Tour Finale

Mercedes- Benz has driven 3 F-CELL B class around the world, covering more than 30,000 km. By doing this the hope to prove both the usability and reliability of their own zero emission technology and prompting calls for the introduction of a hydrogen infrastructure.

“With the F-CELL World Drive we have shown, that the time for electric vehicles with fuel cell has come. Now the development of the infrastructure has to pick up speed,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “For only an adequate number of hydrogen fuel stations enables car drivers to benefit from the advantages of this technology: high range, short refuelling times, zero emissions. So far there are approximately 200 hydrogen fuel stations worldwide, with about 1000 needed for a basic nationwide coverage of a country like Germany.

The tour started and finished in front of the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart. They started their tour on the 125th birthday of the automobile and crossed 14 countries and 4 continents on their tour. The B Class were able to maintain their supply of hydrogen through a mobile refuelling unit based in a Mercedes Sprinter van.

Mercedes hope this project proves the suitability of the F-CELL for everyday driving. The B Class F-CELL is a development of the first generation A Class system and is 40% smaller while producing 30% more power and using 30% less fuel. In 2010 the first of around 200 vehicles have been delivered to customers in the US and Europe.

The practicality of the F-CELL is also on show. The car boasts a cold-start capability down to minus 25 degrees Celsius with no impairment at all down to minus 15 degrees Celsius. Not only this, but with the tanks full the range of the F-CELL is up to 400km, again representing a large improvement over the first generation. A standardised fuelling system should allow refuelling to take less than 3 minutes.

In order to maintain its everyday practicality the B Class retains five seats and 416 litres of boot capacity. The key components of the fuel cell are contained in the under body of the car. This allows for generous interior space, a lower centre of gravity and a high standard of crash safety.

A common concern with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles has been safety. Mercedes has succeeded in making the B Class F-CELL meet contemporary safety standards with the European NCAP system rating the car at 5 stars. A valve cuts off any hydrogen from escaping during an accident while the battery is surrounded by high strength steel housing. It is testament to these safety improvements that Mercedes-Benz fuel cell vehicles can now be used in underground car parks, multi-storey car parks and tunnels with no restriction.