B-Class F-Cell: Time to hit the road
In the summer of 2010, Mercedes-Benz will celebrate the market launch of the first series-produced car with a fuel cell drive: the B-Class F-Cell. A newly designed fuel cell system will act as the innovative car’s drive system. It is based on modules that Daimler introduced in its F 600 HYGENIUS research car in 2005. The vehicle’s fuel cell stack is 40 percent smaller, generates 30 percent more output, and uses 16 percent less fuel than the predecessor generation in the A-Class F-Cell. In addition, the B-Class F-Cell boasts outstanding cold-start performance.
Thanks to an even more compact and powerful system, the B-Class F-Cell’s range is twice that of the drive system of the current A-Class F-Cell. The electric motor has a peak output of 100 kW/136 hp and a maximum torque of 320 Nm — yet the emission-free fuel cell drive of this family-friendly compact car consumes the energy equivalent of only 2.9 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers.
