Details Emerge On Mercedes-Benz F600 Hygenius
Posted by www.eMercedesBenz.com on October 10, 2005 at 9:24 AM CST
As many of you car fanatics already know, the Tokyo Motor Show is
taking place later this month. What you may not know, however, is
that Mercedes has used the Tokyo Motor Show to unveil their last two
F-Class Concept Cars (you can find more info on these at the end of
the story). In keeping with tradition, Auto Bild is reporting that
Mercedes is once again set to debut their latest concept, dubbed the
"F600 Hygenius," in Tokyo later this month.
Before I delve into specifics, I have to warn you - this information
was taken from a roughly translated German page, so I may
misinterpret some facts. Now that that's out of the way, on with the
car. As you can see from the photos, the F600 looks similar to
current production A and B-Class models. That however, is where the
similarities end. The Hygenious, as it is so modestly titled, is the
first Mercedes to utilize fuel cell technolgy in combination with an
electric motor. The result is a car that functions much like current
hybrids, without the gas (or diesel).
If you've read about other Mercedes' fuel cell vehicles, such as the
F-Cell you already know their range is somewhat limited. Mercedes has
addressed the issue, at least partly, with the F600. The concept
features re-designed fuel cells, which Mercedes claim will produce
30% more power while being 16% more efficient. To futher benefit the
F600's range, Mercedes added a high torque electric motor, which,
like current hybrids, powers the vehicle in city driving and stop and
go traffic. The result is a range of approximately 250 miles, a
noticeable improvement over the current F-Cell's 100 mile mark.
Before you get too excited, there is one last thing we have to
mention. Mercedes doesn't expect the F600's technology to be
available until the year 2012, or 2,272 days if you want to start
counting.
Personally, I think the technology behind F600 Hygenius is great.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - hybrids are a temporary
solution; fuel cells will change the future. Now that you know my
view on fuel cells, I need to address Mercedes for a second. Guys,
would it kill you to add fuel cell technology to a car that I'd
actually want to drive? It's a concept car, it's not supposed to
look like a Volkswagen Golf. I'd much rather see an F400 Hygenius
than a hatchback...
To view the full story and photos, click on the link below:
http://emercedesbenz.com/
Oct05/10DetailsEmegeOnMercedesBenzF600Hygenius.html