OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Stuttgart, Germany, Apr 27, 2011
From the automobile exhibition "Auto Shanghai" the three Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL cars set off on their journey through China, which took them to the capital Beijing on 24 April. With this leg, the final and longest leg of the F-CELL World Drive began: all in all, the fuel cell powered cars will each absolve around 9000 kilometres until they again reach European soil in Russia 20 days later. From there the tour will start its homeward journey to Germany via Scandinavia. Before setting off from Shanghai, the F-CELL World Drive had already travelled half the globe: since its start at the end of January the tour successfully crossed southern Europe, North America and Australia.
In Beijing, where the tour arrived on 24 April, Daimler AG was already active in the field of fuel cell technology some years ago: from 2005 to 2007, as part of the HyFLEET:CUTE STEP project, Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell buses covered more than 92,000 kilometres in Beijing's public urban transport system. Mercedes-Benz now used the B-Class F-CELL to demonstrate the progress achieved since then, in the course of an event for local political representatives in Beijing on 25 April.
Right across Asia and Europe in 41 days
Within a 41-day period, the F-CELL World Drive will cross two continents and seven countries on the last leg of its round-the-world tour. During this journey, the "green" B-Class F-CELL cars will not only capture attention in China, but also in Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany, as in addition to the driving days, local events are planned in each of these countries with the aim of giving fuel cell technology wide public exposure. In early June the tour will come to an end at its starting and finishing point in Stuttgart.
This unique round-the-world tour not only marks the 125th anniversary of the automobile, but also the anniversary of fuel cell development at Daimler. It was exactly 20 years ago, in 1991, that Daimler commenced its activities in this field. The fruits of this early commitment are apparent today: the B-Class F-CELL is the first fuel cell powered series production vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
Fuel cell development at Daimler: from then until now
Daimler AG started on the development of fuel cell technology in 1991 and soon achieved first successes: just three years after development started, Daimler presented the NECAR 1, its first operational fuel cell powered vehicle. However, at that time, the fuel cell system still occupied the entire load compartment of the van. In 1996, with the NECAR 2, Daimler succeeded in presenting a vehicle which was far more suitable for everyday-use. From 2002 onwards the Mercedes-Benz A-Class was used as the basis for fuel cell vehicles. The near-series A-Class F-CELL then entered practical trials in daily operation with customers in Singapore, Japan, the USA and Germany from 2004.
Today, 20 years and 6 evolutionary stages after the start of fuel cell development at Daimler, three B-Class F-CELL cars assembled under series production conditions are on a locally emission-free round-the-world tour. "Of course we also follow our maxim "the best or nothing" when it comes to fuel cell development," says Dr. Thomas Weber, the Daimler AG Board Member responsible for Group Research and Development for Mercedes-Benz Cars. "The B-Class F-CELL provides locally emission-free mobility without compromises, and is therefore a Mercedes that meets the expectations of our customers."
The fuel cell: a technology full of possibilities
As development progressed, the various possibilities of use of fuel cell technology in a wide range of different vehicle concepts proved to be an advantage. Daimler recognised this at an early stage: In addition to the NECAR fuel cell vehicles, the Stuttgart-based company already developed the NEBUS in 1997, which proved its operational capability in urban public transport system in six cities around the world.
Particularly in city traffic, emission-free mobility solutions are indispensable for the achievement of high air quality in the near future. The NEBUS already showed that the fuel cell is an alternative to the internal combustion engine, and that in city traffic it suitably complements battery-electric vehicles. Further development of fuel cell technology was therefore systematically continued for buses as well. From 2003 to 2006 this application was again subjected to extensive testing as part of the CUTE fleet trials and other, associated projects.
During this period, 36 fuel cell powered Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses performed successfully with twelve transport operators on three continents. Test cities selected at the time, Barcelona, Madrid, Perth, Peking, Stockholm, Stuttgart and Hamburg, are also on the route of the F-CELL World Drive. Furthermore, the technology is suitable for distribution operations as well: in 2001 it was used in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for the first time, covering 60,000 kilometres in everyday customer trials.
By 2007 Daimler AG was the company with the most experience in the field of fuel cell technology, with more than 100 vehicles in customer hands worldwide and more than 3 million locally emission-free kilometres covered. Today the total distance absolved exceeds 5 million kilometres.
Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive
During the F-CELL World Drive, three Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL vehicles are passing through 14 countries and 4 continents – to drive around the globe once. Organised by Mercedes-Benz, the circumnavigation of the world started one day after its symbolic start on 29 January and is scheduled to last 125 days, until the vehicles return to Stuttgart again at the beginning of June, after covering a distance of some 30,000 kilometres. The aim of the tour is to demonstrate the technical maturity and suitability for everyday use of electric vehicles with fuel cells, and at the same time highlight the need for a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure. The Stuttgart-based automotive manufacturer is being supported on the tour by Linde AG, which is responsible for supplying the hydrogen.
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History of the fuel cell at Mercedes-Benz
Smaller, lighter, more efficient: The rapid evolution of the fuel cell
In 1994, the NECAR 1 started, as the world's first electric vehicle with fuel cell technology. Since then Mercedes-Benz has achieved enormous progress in the development of this technology: locally emission-free fuel cell vehicles have performed outstandingly in fleet trials. In 2009, with the B-Class F-CELL produced under series production conditions, Mercedes-Benz reached a major milestone on the way towards the industrialisation of electric fuel cell drive systems.
1996 – NECAR 2: Already considerably more compact than the preceding model. The fuel cell stack was located in a suitcase-sized container under the rear seat unit of a Mercedes-Benz V-Class; the hydrogen tanks were installed on the roof of the research vehicle. The vehicle was able to carry six passengers and had an operating range of 250 kilometres.
1997 – NECAR 3: The first fuel cell car using methanol as a liquid hydrogen source. The onboard conversion of methanol proved to be technically too complex. Daimler therefore concentrated on operation with gaseous hydrogen.
1997 – NEBUS: With a single hydrogen filling, the NEBUS had a range of 250 kilometres, and was therefore easily capable of the daily mileage covered by a regular service bus. The NEBUS demonstrated its operational viability in regular service in Oslo, Hamburg, Perth, Melbourne, Mexico City and Sacramento.
1999 – The NECAR 4 research vehicle had a further-improved fuel cell drive system. Key data: space for five occupants, a range of more than 450 kilometres and a maximum speed of 145 km/h.
2000 – NECAR 5: The entire fuel cell system including the reformer was accommodated within the sandwich floor of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, whose interior was therefore fully available for passengers and luggage. Maximum speed exceeded 145 km/h, and refuelling was only necessary after more than 400 kilometres.
2003 – The entire fuel cell system of the A-Class F-CELL was housed within the sandwich floor. In 2004 these vehicles were the world's first fuel cell cars in customer hands.
2005 – Presentation of the F 600 HYGENIUS at the Tokyo Motor Show: its newly developed fuel cell stacks were 40 percent smaller and developed 30 percent more output than those of the A-Class F-CELL.
2006 – Daimler had a worldwide fleet of more than 100 fuel cell powered vehicles in operation with customers – from the A-Class to the Citaro bus. To date these vehicles have covered more than 4.5 million emission-free kilometres.
2008 – The Concept BlueZero F-CELL had an electric operating range of more than 400 km, and a top speed of 150 Km/h.
2009 – In November 2009 the B-Class F-CELL with the next-generation fuel cell drive system was the world's first vehicle of its type to be produced under series production conditions.
2009 – The prototype of the new fuel cell powered Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid city bus was presented. Its efficient, environmentally compatible technology made locally emission-free urban public transport possible as a major step towards the mobility of the future in metropolitan areas.
2010 – With the Mercedes-Benz F 800 Style research vehicle, Daimler demonstrated that very low fuel consumption and CO2 figures are also achievable with large, comfortable automobiles. The variable drive architecture is a world first in the luxury saloon segment. It is suitable for both electric drive with a fuel cell, making an operating range of around 600 km possible, and the use of a plug-in hybrid system with a total range of around 700 km, of which up to 30 km can be covered under electric power alone.
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