DaimlerChrysler has rolled out the world’s first fuel cell police vehicle at Wayne State University in Auburn Hills, Michigan. This is according to a PR Newswire story initiated by the Chrysler Group.
The hydrogen car, a Mercedes F-Cell (pictured at this link), will be used as a police supervisor’s vehicle and is complete with police radio, decals, lights and sirens. The vehicle has a range of around 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph (so it won’t be involved in any police chases as it might in the Los Angeles area).
The fuel cell stack was developed by Ballard Power Systems and the electric motor churns out 88 hp (65 kW) worth of power. DaimlerChrysler has the largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles of any manufacturer with over 100 such vehicles dispersed all over the world (California has 25 of them).
DaimlerChrysler has found another visible way of putting a hydrogen car into the community to promote the upcoming hydrogen economy and must be applauded for their efforts in getting the word out.