F-Cell World Tour Stops in Shanghai

Currently on location in Shanghai, where the first major Chinese auto show is about to open its doors, the caravan of three B-Klasse models equipped with the F-Cell drive is getting ready to come back to Europe, the starting point of a trip that has taken the models around the world in under two months.

Having departed on January 30 from Germany, the three models went on the show-and-tell tour, hoping to bring the public a closer look into how this type of electric vehicle is supposed to work. During the tour, challenges like the lack of a proper hydrogen fuel stations infrastructure were also discovered, providing Daimler with perhaps more info about what it is about to face when it launches the models commercially than it would have found out any other way.

"The Auto Shanghai show also illustrates the high level of interest in fuel cell technology in China. An emission-free mobility solution also makes good sense in view of the high levels of fine dust pollution in Chinese cities, as well as the fast-growing number of car owners,” Daimler says about its presence in China.

“Moreover, China is one of the most important markets for Mercedes-Benz, and also has great potential with respect to battery-powered electric vehicles.”

The three models that have made the long trip around the world are powered by fuel cell system which comprises a 136 hp electric motor (290 Nm of torque) with cold-start capability, the model is capable of reaching 250 miles (400 km) before refueling with hydrogen.