 |
| Types of Fuel Cells | The Basics | Fuel Cell News | Search | |
|
| Types of Fuel Cells | The Basics | Fuel Cell News | Search | |
| Mercedes-Benz
F-Cell Makes Fuel Cell Power a Reality-UPS Will
Be The First Corporate F-Cell Customer In The U.S.
Publication date: 30-December-2003
|
|
| UPS Will Be The First Corporate F-Cell Customer
In The U.S.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercedes-Benz is displaying the latest DaimlerChrysler fuel cell vehicle at theL.A. Auto Show, January 4-11 in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class model currently sold abroad, the "F-Cell" fuel cell vehicle is fueled by compressed hydrogen. UPS (NYSE: UPS), along with other corporate and municipal customers, will lease a significant number of "F-Cell" test cars in the U.S. over the coming year.
What's A Fuel Cell? Fuel-cell cars are electric vehicles that make their own electric power
on board instead of relying on batteries. Fuel cells are considered
the cleanest and most promising propulsion system for the future.
In 1994, Mercedes-Benz became the first car company to debut a fuel cell
vehicle, and last year its NECAR 5 became the first fuel-cell car to successfully
complete a
While the development of automotive fuel cells has made enormous progress in the past few years, some major challenges still remain. The cost of fuel- cell vehicles must be reduced to compete with conventional engine technology, while the production of hydrogen fuel and development of a refueling infrastructure needs to be established and standardized. "Fuel cell technology gives us the opportunity to bring mobility together with environmental compatibility and make a major contribution to society," says Professor Juergen Hubbert, DaimlerChrysler AG board member in charge of the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and smart passenger car division. "To enable the fuel cell to go on the market in the foreseeable future, most importantly the fuel and infrastructure issues must be clarified in a worldwide initiative, jointly with the political community, the mineral oil industry and the energy sector. Development engineers, too, still face numerous challenges, referring mainly to the further reduction of weight and cost as well as the improvement of reliability and durability. In this field, manufacturers should cooperate more intensively so as to promote the breakthrough of this key technology." Sandwich Floor Hides A Fuel Cell Stack In the F-Cell, the entire fuel-cell system is housed between the bi-level
"sandwich" floors of the A-Class, a compact Mercedes-Benz model not yet
sold in the U.S. As a result, all the cargo- and people-carrying
features of the surprisingly spacious five-passenger car are preserved.
The fuel cell -- actually a stack of PEM membranes -- is supplied by tanks
of hydrogen that are compressed to around 5000 pounds per square inch.
Its electric motor produces 65 kilowatts, which translates to about 155
ft.-lb. of torque and 87 horsepower.
Related Links:
~ |
 |
