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March 12, 2003
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This Week:

• Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG celebrates premiere as new Formula One Safety Car

• GM Is First Automaker Approved To Drive A Liquid Hydrogen Vehicle On Japanese Roads

• BMW GROUP Sales February 2003: Outlook for the year remains positive

• DaimlerChrysler initiates "F-Cell" tests in Japan

• Peter Schwarzenbauer to be new President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America

• Ford Announces 100th Anniversary Celebration Plans

• Team Bentley returns to racing in the USA after 81 years

• Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America Outsource Vehicle Logistics Operation

• Toyota Announces Strong February Sales

• GM Service And Parts Operations, ProLogis And Aurora EDC Partnership Results In New Parts Distribution Center In Colorado

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DaimlerChrysler initiates "F-Cell" tests in Japan
 

Official opening of a joint facility for fuel cell vehicles in Tokyo Tests commence for the Mercedes-Benz "F-Cell" A-Class in Japan "F-Cell" granted road operation approval for Japan Already five hydrogen filling stations in Tokyo Tokyo - The first Japanese testing facility for fuel cell vehicles was opened at a ceremony today. DaimlerChrysler is co-initiator of this project, in which five automotive manufactures and further companies from the energy supply sector have joined forces to test fuel cell vehicles along with the necessary fuel infrastructure under everyday operating conditions. This "Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project" (JHFC), which is subsidized by the Japanese government, sets out to bring this project towards market maturity by fostering close cooperation between the spheres of industry and science and the authorities. DaimlerChrysler will be involved in this test program with its Mercedes-Benz "F-Cell" A-Class, which was first presented in October 2002. The necessary road operation approval for this car has already been granted by the Japanese Ministry for Land Infrastructure and Transport.

The JHFC facilities provide excellent conditions for the tests, since they include both workshops and an information center. Five hydrogen filling stations have already been established in the greater Tokyo area.

Dr. Andreas Truckenbrodt, responsible for alternative powertrains at DaimlerChrysler, comments: "The Japanese demonstration project represents a significant milestone along the road towards market maturity for fuel cell vehicles and towards the use of hydrogen as an energy medium for the future. We welcome this initiative of the Japanese government, since we are convinced that this future-oriented technology can only be effectively promoted through close cooperation between the automotive manufacturers and the energy supply sector."

The development of fuel cell technology at DaimlerChrysler

On October 7, 2002 DaimlerChrysler presented the world's first series produced fuel cell car: the Mercedes-Benz "F-Cell" A-Class. This fleet of sixty vehicles will be driven and tested by customers in everyday conditions as from 2003 within the scope of international cooperations. Ever since the presentation of the first NECAR (New Electric Car) in 1994, DaimlerChrysler has been instrumental in promoting the development of fuel cell technology and has now presented twenty concept vehicles in all. The technical practicability of this pioneering drive concept based on the fuel cell has thus been demonstrated.

Nevertheless, before the "F-Cell" can find universal application, a considerable amount of development work still has to be carried out which cannot lie in the hand of one automotive producer alone. To pave the way for the market introduction of the fuel cell within the foreseeable future, the matter of fuel supply and infrastructure in particular must first be clarified within the scope of a worldwide initiative together with the field of politics, the petroleum industry and the energy economy. The development engineers are still faced with countless challenges, relating especially to further weight and cost reductions and to increased reliability and extended service life. In order to effect a breakthrough in this key technology, cooperation between the manufacturers is indispensable.

Technical data on the Mercedes-Benz "F-Cell" A-Class:

In the interior, the "F-Cell" is just as spacious as other A-Class vehicles. It has an operating radius of approx. 150 kilometers (93 miles) and runs on compressed hydrogen (350 bar). The driving characteristics of the "F-Cell" are agile and dynamic. Its electric motor develops a power output of 65 kW and a torque of 210 Nm. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in approx.16 seconds, and it has a top speed of around 140 km/h (87 mph). Furthermore, it is completely emission-free and is extremely quiet in operation.

(March 11, 2003)