Mercedes-Benz announced last week the impending production of its
B-Class F-Cell vehicle, a hydrogen fuel-cell sedan modeled on several test vehicles designed in the past five years. The B-Class F-Cell builds on the rudimentary drive system of the
A-Class while drawing on design advancements from its combustion vehicles. The
F-Cell will be limited to 200 units in its first round of production at the end
of 2009 with vehicles delivered to customers in Hamburg and Southern
California by spring 2010. The B-Class F-Cell demonstrates that Mercedes-Benz is succeeding in
its parallel-track development of traditional and fuel-cell vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz packaged its 80kW fuel-cell stack with a 35kW
lithium-ion battery pack to put the B-Class F-Cell in motion. The fuel-cell
stack is capable of lasting 2,000 hours under optimal conditions, a
considerable upgrade over previous test vehicles. The B-Class also houses an
electric motor capable of 136 horsepower output when pressed to its
limits. Mercedes-Benz was quick to point out the zero-emissions operations of
the B-Class F-Cell as well as the fuel efficiency equivalent of 71 miles per
gallon.
The B-Class F-Cell has been in the works since 2004 when the
A-Class was used as a test vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. The A-Class F-Cell was considerably
inferior to the current model in terms of range, starting capacity and motor
output. Mercedes-Benz also built the B-Class F-Cell off the bulky F 600 Hygenius
test vehicle created in 2005. The B-Class is a more refined version of the F
600 Hygenius with a body size 40% smaller than its predecessor. The latest
fuel-cell model by Mercedes-Benz does not sacrifice power with its 30% increase
in power output and 16% decrease in fuel usage.
The B-Class F-Cell benefits from small touches by Mercedes-Benz
as well as extensive testing of the automaker’s fuel-cell system. The B-Class
houses features like a dehumidifcation system to ensure passenger comfort
without creating unnecessary waste. Mercedes-Benz has tested the A-Class,
B-Class and F 600 Hygenius over 2.7 million miles in the past five years thanks
to the hard work of 100 test vehicles. The blockade to wider use of the B-Class outside of
Europe and California is the lack of a substantial fuel cell infrastructure. The success of the B-Class in European markets and California could
be beneficial to fuel-cell advocates in the United States trying to prove that
fuel-cell vehicles are practical enough to replace traditional cars.
