Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell: first series-produced fuel cell car

At the end of 2009 Mercedes-Benz is going to launch the first series-produced fuel cell car. The B-Class F-Cell will have a limited production and the first 200 units will be delivered in Europe and in the USA in the beginning of next year. This electric vehicle has a better performance than the two-litre petrol car engine and has a consumption of 3.3 l/100km of diesel fuel (NEDC), making it a car suited for a daily driving.

The B-Class F-Cell maintains all of Mercedes-Benz standards of safety and comfort, expected by people, with no reduction in the interior space or boot capacity. Thanks to its autonomy of approximately 400km the B-Class F-Cell secures mobility with zero CO₂ emissions, even for long stretches.

For Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Development for Mercedes-Benz Cars the B-Class F-Cell is playing an important role of pioneer in the car industry being the first series-produced fuel cell car.

The technological heart of this vehicle is the new generation of the compact, high-performance fuel cell system, with a current for the electric engine generated by the reaction of the gaseous hydrogen with the atmospheric oxygen at a pressure of 700 bar.

The drive system was completely newly developed comparing with the F-Cell A-Class presented in 2004. In the B-Class F-Cell Mercedes-Benz considerable improvements were achieved by the engineers in terms of output, torque, operating range, reliability, starting characteristics and comfort.

The fuel-cell car uses a lithium-ion battery, as in hybrids with combustion engines, and has an output of 35 kW and a capacity of 1.4 kWh to boost power and recover braking energy, . Compact dimensions, high performance, great recharge efficiency and a long service life are several of the advantages of the lithium-ion technology over conventional batteries.

In order to achieve a zero-emission driving, a wide network of hydrogen filling station has to be created. To do so Daimler is involved in joint projects in German cities of Hamburg and Stuttgart and in the USA, in California, to cooperate with governmental authorities, energy utilities and oil companies.

After more than 4.5 million kilometers of testing with more than 100 vehicles the B-Class F-Cell is another proof of this technology’s high level of development for the car industry.