Mercedes-Benz Pushes Back Fuel Cell Development

From Perth's "The Sunday Times":

Mercedes is the world leader in fuel-cell development and shares technology with other players. Its first fuel-cell car was the Necar of 1994, but its latest is far more efficient and reliable.

Mercedes said the F600 Hygenius had much smaller fuel-cell stacks, 30 per cent more power, 16 per cent less consumption of hydrogen gas and could operate in temperatures as low as -25C.

It said the fuel-cell car, likely to be based on an A-Class successor, would be marketable in 2012-2015. The confirmation that fuel-cell cars were finally on the horizon was made in Iceland, which is committed to be free of fossil fuels by the year 2050.

Iceland generates power for its community by hydro-electric and thermal powerplants. Each house and all streets and footpaths are kept ice-free and warm by underground and in-house piping fed from nearby hot springs.

Iceland has the ability to manufacture hydrogen from its resources that will be used for fuelling cars, trucks, ships and industrial engines. Iceland, like Perth, is trialling three Mercedes-Benz fuel-cell buses.

Fuel cells are similar to a conventional car battery, though work in reverse by being infused independently with hydrogen and air to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity.

This electricity then powers electric motors to drive the vehicle. The result of this chemical reaction is an exhaust of water vapour.