Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Last year, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz showed the world the preproduction model of the GLC F-Cell, the world’s first car that uses electricity from both fuel cells and a regular plug for its motoring needs.
About a year later, Mercedes is ready to hand over some GLC F-Cells to select customers in Germany, as a means to test the SUV in real life operating conditions. Deutsche Bahn, Air Liquide, Shell, Linde and the cities of Stuttgart and Hamburg will be using the cars under a full-service rental system. These entities will be followed next spring by private customers getting access to this special GLC.
Fuel cell technology has been in the works at Mercedes-Benz for three decades, with little to actually show for until now except for the F-Cell variant of the B-Class which began testing about a decade ago.
The GLC, however, is of an entirely different breed, as aside for the tech needed to convert hydrogen into electricity (tanks, fuel cells, and battery), the SUV also features an additional lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a regular socket.
A 208 hp electric motor is used to drive the wheels of the SUV, For that, it needs electricity, which it can get from the fuel cell system. When doing so, it can travel for as much as 430 km (267 miles).
Usually in F-Cell vehicles, if the tanks turn dry, that’s all she wrote, and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. The GLC however can switch to power coming from the lithium-ion battery, in which case an extra 51 km (32 miles) can be squeezed out of the motor, maybe enough to reach the nearest filling station.
The German carmaker did not say how many GLC F-Cell models it will be renting for this trial,. It did, however, say it will not be actually selling any of the models.
Fuel cell technology has been in the works at Mercedes-Benz for three decades, with little to actually show for until now except for the F-Cell variant of the B-Class which began testing about a decade ago.
The GLC, however, is of an entirely different breed, as aside for the tech needed to convert hydrogen into electricity (tanks, fuel cells, and battery), the SUV also features an additional lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a regular socket.
A 208 hp electric motor is used to drive the wheels of the SUV, For that, it needs electricity, which it can get from the fuel cell system. When doing so, it can travel for as much as 430 km (267 miles).
Usually in F-Cell vehicles, if the tanks turn dry, that’s all she wrote, and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. The GLC however can switch to power coming from the lithium-ion battery, in which case an extra 51 km (32 miles) can be squeezed out of the motor, maybe enough to reach the nearest filling station.
The German carmaker did not say how many GLC F-Cell models it will be renting for this trial,. It did, however, say it will not be actually selling any of the models.
Google News