|
Therefore, by that time, an
infrastructure which allows the everyday operation of such
vehicles, needs to be in place.", according to Dr. Thomas Weber,
the Daimler AG Board Member responsible for Group Research and
Development for Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Now is therefore the time
to increase speed and consistently develop the hydrogen filling
station network."
Local zero-emission motoring
from Miami to Seattle
The second leg of the F-CELL World
Drive is taking the three fuel cell vehicles across the North
American continent, from Miami right across the USA and as far
as Vancouver in Canada. The route then continues by airplane
from Seattle to Australia. In doing so, the journey will also
highlight the gaps in the American hydrogen infrastructure. By
the end of the USA tour the B-Class F-CELL vehicles will have
been refuelled around 35 times during 18 legs – but only one
time will be at a public hydrogen filling station in Torrance,
Los Angeles.
During the tour, the striking
green paint finish of the B-Class F-CELL vehicles, which already
caused a sensation at the Detroit Motor Show, isn’t the only
feature raising attention to the tour. Local events in San
Francisco, Sacramento, Salem and Vancouver will also provide the
opportunity for an intensive exchange of ideas with local media,
visitors and residents on the subject of fuel cell technology.
During this leg of the trip, which
is scheduled to take roughly three weeks, participants can
expect to enjoy a varied programme providing not only extensive
opportunity to experience the B-Class F-CELL, but also
interesting information on the topic of sustainable mobility. On
1 March the tour already paid a visit to the Daimler car2go
mobility project in Austin, Texas.
The next item of the agenda, due
to take place on 10 March, is an intensive exchange on the topic
of electric mobility at Tesla Motors in Palo Alto. Tesla designs
and builds high performance electric cars and supplies
powertrain components to leading OEMs. Tesla makes the
lithium-ion battery and charger for Daimler's smart fortwo
electric drive and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL. In
Vancouver the participants will then be the guests of the
Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC). This is where the fuel
cell stack for the B-Class F-CELL, for example, was developed in
close cooperation with Daimler research and development staff
from Germany. The company was established in 2007, with Daimler
as the majority shareholder (50.1 percent). In addition, while
in Vancouver the F-CELL World Drive will also meet up with
adventurer and explorer Mike Horn and his PANGAEA Expedition,
for which Mercedes-Benz is the main sponsor. The PANGAEA
Expedition's sailing ship has been visiting all of the
continents, including both the North and South Pole, since
October 2008. Together with young people from all over the
world, expedition leader Mike Horn is setting up ecological and
social projects on his trip around the world.
Heading through Europe with
hydrogen in tow
Prior to setting off in the USA,
the vehicles already proved themselves on a route covering more
than 3000 kilometres through Southern Europe. The symbolic
starting shot for the tour actually sounded on 29 January during
the official ceremony to mark the 125th anniversary of the motor
car, after which, just one day later, the B-Class F-CELL
vehicles set out on the first stage to Paris. After this they
made for the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, driving via France
and Spain.
The initial kilometres of the
unique world tour have already displayed the need for action in
terms of the provision of hydrogen. The accompanying
participants from the USA and China discovered that even a fuel
cell vehicle such as the B-Class F-CELL can provide an enjoyable
and dynamic driving experience as well as high cruising speeds:
On the German motorways they kept the vehicles at a speed of 170
km/h. The consequences of this style of driving became apparent
later, however, when it was discovered that the tanks of two of
the three vehicles were empty approx. 40 kilometres before the
scheduled fuel stop. This resulted in the realisation that, even
with a fuel cell vehicle, driving fast results in increased
consumption, and that all drivers can cover longer local
zero-emission motoring distances by adopting an economical
driving style. On subsequent legs, the real goal of the
participants was to achieve as low a consumption as possible by
adopting an appropriate driving style at comfortable speeds. As
part of this, one of the drivers even managed to better an NEDC-certified
(New European Driving Cycle) value equivalent to 3.3 litres of
fuel (diesel equivalent) per 100 kilometres, resulting in a
range of 380 km.
For Mercedes-Benz, these initial
problems most notably reflect the need for action when it comes
to the provision of hydrogen. The refuelling situation on the
F-CELL World Drive underpins this issue. At the start in
Stuttgart, the vehicles could still be refuelled at the public
hydrogen filling station of OMV. However, up until the
preliminary leg destination of Lisbon, the vehicles had to
resort to alternatives, such as the mobile refuelling vehicle
developed specifically for the tour. This was developed in
conjunction with Linde AG, which is also guaranteeing the supply
of hydrogen for the entire world tour, something which
represents a significant challenge since the hydrogen has to be
made available at each of the refuelling stops at the right
time, in the right quantity and with the necessary degree of
purity.
Despite the partial difficult
conditions - which a trip around the world brings along with it
- after extensive test drives it has become apparent to the
participants of the tour that the B-Class F-CELL is highly
suited to everyday use. Furthermore, as determined at a routine
evening check in Lyon, even animals such as the pine marten are
keen on the technology too. Two small holes in the cooling and
heating hoses, caused by the teeth of the predators, were the
fuel cell vehicle's first small issues requiring repair.
Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World
Drive
During the F-CELL World Drive,
three Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL vehicles are passing through
14 countries and 4 continents - to drive around the globe once.
Organised by Mercedes-Benz, the circumnavigation of the world
started on 30 January 2011 in Stuttgart and is scheduled to last
125 days, until the vehicles return to Stuttgart again at the
beginning of June, after covering a distance of some 30,000
kilometres. The aim of the tour is to demonstrate the technical
maturity and suitability for everyday use of electric vehicles
with fuel cells, and at the same time highlight the need for a
comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure. The Stuttgart-based
automotive manufacturer is being supported on the tour by Linde
AG, which is responsible for supplying the hydrogen.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
(Feb 25, 2011)
|
|
