Mercedes plug-in fuel cell SUV coming soon

TeslaInvestors · Jan 2, 2019

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/vehicles/passenger-cars/glc/the-new-glc-f-cell/

Market launch of the GLC F‑CELL.
Mercedes-Benz is setting a further milestone on the road to locally emission-free driving with the handover of the first GLC F-CELL vehicles to selected customers in the German market. The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL is unique worldwide as it features both fuel cells and a battery drive which can be charged externally using plug-in technology. Alongside various national and regional ministries as well as the National Organisation Hydrogen (NOW) and H2 Mobility, the first customers in the German market also include Deutsche Bahn, the German railways. Other business as well as private customers in Germany will also be able to enjoy access to the GLC F-CELL from the spring of 2019 via Mercedes-Benz Rent.
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If Mercedes can package this correctly, it will kill the hydrogen FUDsters' main argument of hydrogen cost. People will gladly pay a few more dollars to avoid hanging around for hours at the charging stations with middle aged people wearing car-logo T-shirts and trying to sell each other some more cars.

marshall · Jan 2, 2019

So are you planning to buy your Honda after you burn up the free fuel? Or are you planning to trade in your lease for this Mercedes and free fuel?

TeslaInvestors · Jan 2, 2019

marshall said: ↑

So are you planning to buy your Honda after you burn up the free fuel? Or are you planning to trade in your lease for this Mercedes and free fuel?
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Well, there is no "buy" option for Clarity FCEV. I'm almost through 1/4th of the lease, reaching 9 months and 15K miles.
Even if there was a buy option, I won't buy it due to the high hydrogen cost. Also, I am not a fanatic. I still drive my gas powered SUV sometimes.
Even with free hydrogen, it's not that cheap. If people do care for a good car, then it's nice. I think leasing it once is good enough support I gave to this technology. Now it's time for Honda and others to figure out how to get next round of buyers into this space. After 2.5 years, I will evaluate where things stand.

My guess is that the Mercedes FCell, when it comes to US, may be out of my reach. But the rich Tesla Model S&X buyers may find it more suitable. Quiet, comfortable ride combined with fast refueling (no supercharger waits) and yet most of the commute is on cheap electricity at home. We will have to wait and see what kind of pricing Mercedes offers. I think, it is still at least a year before this comes to US shores.

bwilson4web · Jan 3, 2019

The power output of the fuel cell is too high and the battery undersized with no fast DC charging listed. The fuel cell should be sized for maximum cruise speed and the battery for a 300-600 m hill. I base this on 3 years, 30,000 mi 48,000 km of BMW i3 driving.

Bob Wilson

TeslaInvestors · Jan 5, 2019

bwilson4web said: ↑

The power output of the fuel cell is too high and the battery undersized with no fast DC charging listed. The fuel cell should be sized for maximum cruise speed and the battery for a 300-600 m hill. I base this on 3 years, 30,000 mi 48,000 km of BMW i3 driving.
Bob Wilson
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BMW i3 in US was crippled due to California rules to get it qualified as BEV. In European models, it had the option to run in hybrid mode etc. so the driver could charge up the battery before a hill climb to draw power from the charged battery and when climbing hills. Mercedes F cell also has same kind of options, and can run in hybrid mode too to increase total power output.

Four operating modes.
HYBRID: the vehicle draws power from both energy sources. Power peaks are handled by the battery, while the fuel cell runs in the optimum efficiency range.
F-CELL: the state of charge of the high-voltage battery is kept constant by the energy from the fuel cell. Only hydrogen is consumed. This mode is ideal for steady cruising over long distances.
BATTERY: the GLC F-CELL runs all-electrically and is powered by the high-voltage battery. The fuel cell system is not in operation. This is the ideal mode for short distances.
CHARGE: charging the high-voltage battery has priority, for example in order to recharge the battery for the maximum overall range prior to refuelling with hydrogen or to create power reserves.
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Mercedes already delivered the first batch to govt officials and people in the H2 mobility in November.
https://www.electrive.com/2018/11/13/daimler-delivers-first-fuel-cell-vehicles-in-germany/

Daimler delivers first fuel cell vehicles in Germany
Nov 13, 2018.
Mercedes-Benz is handing over the first GLC F-Cell models to selected customers in the German market. These include various ministries, the National Organisation for Hydrogen (NOW) and H2 Mobility as well as Deutsche Bahn.

This year will see Daimler continue the deliveries of their fuel cell cars to companies active in the hydrogen market such as Air Liquide, Shell and Linde as well as to the cities of Stuttgart and Hamburg.

Select private businesses and customers will be able to get their hands on the GLC F-Cell via Mercedes-Benz Rent from spring 2019 only.

Daimler presented the GLC F-Cell for the first time at the IAA 2017. The model is designed as a plug-in hybrid of a different kind. In addition to the fuel cell, there is a buffer battery on board, which can be charged externally just like any electric vehicle.

Due to its high price, it will not be sold, but only leased to customers in large cities in Germany and Japan for 799 euros a month. The so-called full-service rental model covers, among other things, all maintenance and possible repairs as well as a warranty package. So far Mercedes is projecting no more than four-digit figures for the initial production run.

They set the official market launch for 2022. By then however, you may expect a whole range of modular and scalable fuel cell electric vehicles from Mercedes, said Jochen Hermann, Daimler’s chief developer for electric drives about a month ago (we reported). Until then, scalability and cost, obviously, are on top of the developers’ agenda.

Here are the most important technical key points in brief: The SUV’s floor houses two tanks with a capacity of 4.4 kg of hydrogen that can be filled in just three minutes. The H2 range is 430 km according to NEDC, the plug-in battery with a capacity of 13.5 kWh provides an additional 51 km of range. The engine has 155 kW and a torque of 365 Nm.
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Looking at the German hydrogen station map, seems it is good to go. A lot of stations all the way to Portugal and Denmark and Norway and UK.

bwilson4web · Jan 5, 2019

TeslaInvestors said: ↑

BMW i3 in US was crippled due to California rules . . .
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Living in Alabama, I'm using EU control laws.

Bob Wilson

Pushmi-Pullyu · Feb 4, 2019

TeslaInvestors said: ↑

If Mercedes can package this correctly, it will kill the hydrogen FUDsters' main argument of hydrogen cost.
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Kinda hard to come up with anything remotely close to FUD about trying to use something as wildly impractical, difficult to handle, and expensive as compressed hydrogen for fuel. I suppose comparisons to the Hindenburg qualify as FUD, and sadly we see a lot of those. I say "sadly" because it's entirely unnecessary to exaggerate the downsides of trying to use H2 as an everyday fuel. Actual facts, actual science, and actual basic economics are entirely sufficient to prevent any credible idea that compressed H2 could ever possibly become a widely used fuel for transportation.

No offense to anyone who is actually driving a FCEV, but they are most definitely not the future of automobiles. The news was posted to InsideEVs recently that Mirai sales are finally starting to fall on a year-on-year basis. I'm surprised it took so long, and that the decline is starting off so slow.

There may remain FCEV enthusiasts, just as there are still steam engine car enthusiasts, and there is a place in the world for both. But both technologies point to the past, not the future, of automobiles, and for the same reason: Because they are hopelessly inefficient when compared to more modern cars. Steam engine cars are hopelessly inefficient when compared to gasmobiles, and FCEVs are hopelessly inefficient when compared to BEVs.

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Mercedes plug-in fuel cell SUV coming soon

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