Linde Hydrogen Fuels Mercedes-Benz World Tour

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MURRAY HILL, N & NEW PROVIDENCE, NJ--February 22, 2011: Linde North America will support the Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive, commemorating the 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile. The drive will make stops in 32 cities in North America between February 24 and March 18.

“Linde has years of hydrogen fueling experience encompassing both stationary and mobile technologies. We are proud that Mercedes-Benz has recognized this experience and our innovative capabilities and has chosen us as their exclusive hydrogen fueling partner for the tour”

Linde North America is part of The Linde Group, which was selected by Mercedes-Benz as the exclusive global hydrogen partner for the F-CELL World Drive, an ambitious endurance drive of three Mercedes B-Class F-CELL hydrogen-powered fuel-cell cars around the world.

The tour launched on January 30, from Stuttgart, Germany. Each of the cars will travel over 18,500 miles across four continents and 14 countries in 125 days. The vehicles will arrive in the U.S. for the North American leg of the tour -- starting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 24 and ending in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on March 18. The vehicles will make fueling stops in 32 cities in between, including eight cities where Linde plants are located.

"We are excited about the opportunity to participate in Mercedes-Benz's world tour," said Pat Murphy, president of Linde North America. "It's a great opportunity for Linde to demonstrate the capability of our hydrogen fueling technology," he said. "Linde has years of hydrogen fueling experience encompassing both stationary and mobile technologies. We are proud that Mercedes-Benz has recognized this experience and our innovative capabilities and has chosen us as their exclusive hydrogen fueling partner for the tour," Murphy said.

Linde and Mercedes-Benz co-developed a new mobile 700-bar refueling unit that houses all the technology required to compress and fuel hydrogen on the move. Key design criteria include 700-bar refueling pressure and a compact footprint for easy transport by air. Linde also developed the entire hydrogen supply and logistics concept for about 400 refuelings planned around the globe, remote regions included. Linde will supply more than 600,000 normal cubic feet of hydrogen in total for the tour.

Linde was one of the earliest entrants into the field of hydrogen fueling and is a leading supplier of hydrogen fueling systems. The company has already equipped more than 70 stations in 15 countries and has supported well over 200,000 successful hydrogen refuelings worldwide. The company is involved in many hydrogen fueling station projects throughout North America including the successful installation of hydrogen fueling stations for forklifts for Wal-Mart in Ohio. Linde is currently installing fueling stations for both buses and cars for AC Transit in Emeryville, California.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with 48,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2009 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 11.2 billion (USD 15.3 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment, in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

F-CELL World Drive

During the F-CELL World Drive, three Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL vehicles with fuel cell drive will be driving through 14 countries and across 4 continents, traveling around the globe. Starting on January 30, 2011, the round-the-world trip will take 125 days and 30,000 kilometers until the vehicles arrive at Stuttgart on beginning of June. The objective is to demonstrate that electric vehicles equipped with fuel cells are technically mature and suitable for everyday use as well as to call the attention to the urgent need of an area-wide hydrogen infrastructure.