Mercedes testing fuel-cell vehicles ahead of 2010 launch

Carmakers are faced with a number of options for alternative fuel motoring but at this stage it’s still anyone’s guess as to what will be the dominant fuel source of the future. That’s why most of the major carmakers are hedging their bets, developing a number of different technologies in the hope that one of them will be the right one.

The most popular alternatives to current fossil-based fuels include bioethanol, electricity and hydrogen. Mercedes-Benz is banking on both electric and hydrogen power as the most likely fuel sources of the future and is currently prepping a new fuel-cell model to be released in 2010. The new car, seen here undergoing cold weather testing, will be based on Mercedes’ next-generation fuel-cell technology, which is claimed to be 40% more compact than current designs while at the same time offering 30% greater performance.

The fuel-cell in this B-Class prototype develops around 136hp and 320Nm of torque. The fuel cell uses the equivalent of about 3L of fuel per 100km, all with zero emissions. Testing of the car found that it had no problems with cold starts. However roadholding tests revealed that current ESP systems need to be recalibrated for the fuel-cell vehicle, due to the different power delivery style of electric engines compared to traditional combustion engines.

Honda, meanwhile, has beaten its rivals in the fuel-cell race with the unveiling last year of the FCX Clarity (pictured below), which officially goes on sale in the middle of the year.

Mercedes B-Class fuel-cell prototype

Honda FCX Clarity