At January’s Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz energetically showed off the hydrogen-powered F-Cell car, vowing to infer the viability of fuel-cell vehicles by pushing 3 of them around the world. And now, 18,641 sum miles later, it’s finished which circumnavigation, nearing safely home during the company’s Stuttgart headquarters. Does this infer fuel-cells have been ready for budding time? Well, the outing took 70 pushing days to cover 4 continents, as well as the vehicles’ operation surfaced out during usually over 400 miles — in Kazahkstan. But M-B admits there have been usually 200 refilling stations worldwide; in many cases the F-Cells had to rest upon the tag-along mobile refueling unit. The association hopes the explanation will coax growth in the refilling-station infrastructure: carrying the fuel-cell vehicle you can’t simply refuel contingency feel similar to owning the drifting DeLorean in 1885. To get the full breakdown, see the Mercedes-Benz PR after the break. Show full PR textF-CELL World Drive
Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive – the finale.
Successful finish: F-CELL World Drive reaches Stuttgart after encircling the globe
- Three B-Class F-CELL expostulate some-more than 30,000 km around the world
- Impressive explanation of bland usability of fuel-cell technology
- Reliable operation even underneath difficult conditions
- Initial procedure for substantiating hydrogen infrastructure
- 90,000 km lonesome with 0 emissions
The “Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive” – the initial round-the-world expostulate with fuel-cell vehicles – successfully resolved upon report currently in Stuttgart. After some-more than 30,000 kilometers, 3 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL vehicles with 0 internal emissions expostulate lines crossed the finish line in front of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The hydrogen-powered B-Classes as well as their await vehicles set off from Stuttgart during the finish of Jan upon the arise of the executive 125th birthday of the automobile, as well as upon their approach have crossed by fourteen countries upon 4 continents.
“With the F-CELL World Drive you have shown, which the time for electric vehicles with fuel dungeon has come. Now the growth of the infrastructure has to collect up speed,” pronounced Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management as well as Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “For usually an competent series of hydrogen fueling stations enables vehicle drivers to good from the advantages of this technology: tall range, reduced refueling times, 0 emissions.
Hydrogen infrastructure challenge
Within the range of the F-CELL World Drive, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL was functioning as an envoy for the new, zero-emissions auto-mobility of the future. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz was lobbying during length for the investiture of the extensive network of hydrogen fueling stations – the consequential cause for the marketplace success of this technology. So far, there have been usually you estimate 200 fuel stations worldwide during which fuel dungeon vehicles can be refueled. According to consultant calculations, the network of around 1,000 bound fuel stations would be enough for simple national coverage in Germany. A executive target of Mercedes-Benz is to see to it that, in future, drivers all over the universe will be equates to to refuel with hydrogen – usually as they do currently with gasoline as well as motor fuel fuel.
The disdainful partner for hydrogen supply upon the F-CELL World Drive was the Linde Group. Thanks to the hydrogen imagination as well as tellurian presence, it was equates to to pledge fuel supply via the complete universe trip. A mutually grown mobile refueling section formed upon the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter accompanied the debate – the usually approach to safeguard fuel supply even upon the many remote stretches.
Proof of the bland usability of fuel-cell drive
During the F-CELL World Drive, Mercedes-Benz was equates to to yield an considerable explanation of the qualities of the fuel dungeon vehicles in conditions of opening as well as robustness. The World Drive vehicles gathering not usually in downtown areas, upon nation roads as well as extensive stretches of highway, though additionally valid their capabilities pushing upon unprepared surfaces, for e.g. upon stages in Australia as well as China.
Even the no-fault collision in Kazakhstan was incompetent to stop the B-Class F-CELL. On the track from Almaty to Balkhash, the number-three B-Class F-CELL was rammed upon the back left fender. The back spindle as well as fender of the fuel-cell vehicle both postulated damage. However, the fuel dungeon vehicle was remade in the circuitously seminar as well as one after another the approach around the world. Only the tiny hole in the bodywork bears covenant to this singular incident.
Round the universe with hydrogen – the debate in figures
Over the sum of 70 pushing days, participants in the F-CELL World Drive picked up an contentment of transport records documenting the multi-faceted aspects of the debate and, during the same time, underscoring the bland usability of the fuel dungeon jot down upon house the B-Class F-CELL. The jot down stretch of 648 kilometers, separate in between dual stretches of some-more than 300 kilometers each, was lonesome upon the expostulate from Almaty to Balkhash in Kazakhstan. Another expected jot down is the series of inhabitants in the places visited by the tour, trimming from no some-more than twenty in Balladonia, Australia, to an considerable nineteen million in Shanghai, China. Due to the still deficient hydrogen infrastructure, the mobile unit, which has been grown in team-work with the Linde AG, was used around 130 times to refuel the B-Classes. Along the route, the B-Class F-CELL vehicles were additionally refueled in usually the couple of mins during dual hydrogen fueling stations.
Mercedes-Benz long-distance drives – in the marks of Bertha Benz
With the right away ancestral F-CELL World Drive, the initial round-the-world expostulate with fuel dungeon vehicles, Mercedes-Benz is adding to the prolonged story of mythological long-distance drives. Examples embody the initial channel of Africa in the vehicle in 1909 as well as the longest motor fuel marathon – the “E-Class Experience” – run in 2006 over 14,000 kilometers from Paris to Beijing.
As distant as the design was concerned, the F-CELL World Drive has the approach tie to the world’s really initial long-distance expostulate – the pioneering try of Bertha Benz, who, in 1888, finished the initial cross-country expostulate with the Benz Patent-Motorwagen from Mannheim to Pforzheim. She faced in element the same plea as her successors with the B-Class F-CELL – she, too, could not just hurl in to the subsequent fuel hire as well as tip up.
In the early days of the automobile, drivers had to buy their fuel from the pharmacy, which is because Bertha Benz stopped during the locale pharmacy in Wiesloch. That was the usually place she could take the light gasoline “ligroin” – which was essentially dictated for made at home operate as the mark remover, though additionally worked as fuel. First gradually, afterwards with augmenting speed, the fuel hire network stretched in to the worldwide infrastructure you know today. That was the defining cause in the jubilant way of the combustion-engine-powered vehicle invented in 1886 by Daimler as well as Benz. With latest expostulate systems the sign is: pick drives need pick infrastructures. In the box of the B-Class F-CELL, this equates to hydrogen fueling stations. It is for this reason which Mercedes-Benz, as the contriver of the automobile, together with partners from custom as well as politics, is lobbying heavily for the investiture of the extensive infrastructure – both for electric cars with fuel cells as well as for those with battery-electric drive.
