 |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell |
 |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell |
 |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell |
 |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell |
 |
| 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell |
F-Cell is a simple matter of unlocking the car via the keyfob switch, climbing in easily—thanks to the tallish crossover format—and switching on. The fuel cell takes very little time to come onstream, and it'll start and run at temperatures as low as minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit. There are none of the whirring, hissing and gurgling noises we recall from early experimental F-C vehicles, and the car barely hums as it comes to life. And that may have been the ventilation system.
The F-Cell is powered by a 100-kilowatt (136-hp) electric motor that produces about 214 lb-ft of torque pretty much all the time. This latest fuel cell is 40 percent smaller than the version in Mercedes-Benz's previous testbed, the A-Class F-Cell, yet it produces 30 percent more power while consuming 30 percent less fuel.
The F-Cell is a front-wheel-drive vehicle with electric power-steering assist and an electric air-conditioning compressor. As you'd expect on a vehicle of this kind, the windows and exterior mirrors are also power-adjustable. There's no overt hint of a bare-bones economy model about the car, which will help any technology-averse drivers adjust quickly.
Like the hybrid vehicles many of us are accustomed to, the F-Cell uses regenerative braking to help the battery pack stay fully charged. But since the batteries in a fuel-cell car are as much buffers (or capacitors) as they are energy sources, there are times when the fuel cell has enough juice to keep them fully charged, and you notice much-reduced regenerative braking when you lift off the pedal.
This in itself is amazing. If one's concern in an era of uncertainty about the use of fossil fuel is the likelihood of continued personal mobility, the F-Cell allows us a sigh of relief. Even if the romance of V12 exhaust symphonies and the excitement of 4-second sprints to 60 mph all disappears at some point, we'll still be able to roll down to the beach with the stereo pumping.
No comments:
Post a Comment