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Mercedes-Benz Shipping 100 B-Class Fuel-Cell Cars To U.S.

 
4 2,339 views Sep 17, 2009
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Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL

Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL

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Many think the infrastructure for a hydrogen-powered car just isn’t there, and they’re mostly right. There have been a few advances in hydrogen production recently, but the distribution system is the weak point. Honda hasn’t let that deter the production of a hydrogen fueled car, and neither is Mercedes-Benz, which plans to launch a production hydrogen fuel-cell car in the U.S. next year.

The luxury automaker will build 200 of the zero-emissions vehicles, each based on the current B-Class compact. Half of these have been earmarked for the U.S., with most expected to end up in California where there are currently hydrogen filling stations.

The information comes from Daimler R&D chief Thomas Weber, who revealed that the cars will go to private customers. The cars will be leased early next year, but terms have not been finalized, he explained.

Mercedes-Benz showcased the fuel-cell B-Class this week at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. The car, which you can read more on in our previous story, has better performance than a 2.0-liter gasoline car and is fully suited for everyday driving.

The vehicle’s technological heart is a compact, high-performance fuel cell system, in which gaseous hydrogen reacts with atmospheric oxygen at 700 bar to generate a current to power an electric motor that then drives the front wheels. Weber said the driving range on a single tank of hydrogen should be about 250 miles.

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Comments (4)

  1. By  Alister Posted: 9/19/2009 2:32pm PDT

    Whats that noise I here? oh, it must be the plumeting re-sale value of hybrids....... Finally a very real and viable solution!
     
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  2. By Mike G. Posted: 9/19/2009 8:31pm PDT

    If only Daimler would import the diesel and gas versions of the B. Is it possible that by bringing in the F-Cell version the Federal safety paperwork will be done already (except the EPA side, of course), thus allowing import of the other versions?
     
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  3. By  Tea Bags Posted: 12/10/2009 11:03pm PST

    This all looks very nice, but you next need to investigate exactly how much it costs to supply hydrogen to this vehicle - from what i have read, the energy cost to produce hydrogen is greater than the cost of oil, so that is the next area that needs a break through.
     
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  4. By Mike K Posted: 12/18/2009 1:14pm PST

    Saw one of these driving around Beverly Hills yesterday. Could see water spraying from where the tail pipe would have been on a regular gas powered car. From what I saw, it looked like it had enough zip for city driving. Wonder what the price will be...
     
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