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Mercedes Readies Fuel Cell-Powered SUV
Daimler AG plans to begin leasing fuel cell-powered versions of its GLC crossover vehicle to fleet operators in Germany early next year.
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Daimler AG plans to begin leasing fuel cell-powered versions of its GLC crossover vehicle to fleet operators in Germany early next year.
Customers will pay €799 ($920) per month to use each vehicle and return it at the end of the service contract, Bloomberg News reports. Daimler says it also plans to eventually onduct a similar field test in Japan.
Daimler showed the GLC F-Cell in preproduction form at last year’s Frankfurt auto show. The car’s fuel cell system, which creates electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, is supplemented with a 13.5-kWh battery that extends the vehicle’s range.
The F-Cell is powered by a 208-hp electric motor. Daimler says the vehicle can travel nearly 480 km (300 miles) between fill-ups/charging. Hydrogen refueling takes about three minutes, according to Daimler.
Like most countries, Germany’s hydrogen refueling network is meager. But the H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH venture launched in 2015 aims to install about 100 fueling stations by the end of 2019. The coalition includes Daimler and several other carmakers and energy companies.
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