The Mercedes Benz F 800 Concept vehicle is set to rollout at the Geneva Auto Show next month. Unlike some automakers who like to unveil “surprise” vehicles, Mercedes has chosen a different tactic and have tipped their hand way in advance as a way to drum up excitement before the show.
The Mercedes Benz F 800 Concept is not strictly a hydrogen fuel cell automobile as Mercedes’ head company Daimler points out that this vehicle has been built with flexibility in mind as it. One the one hand it can accept a plug-in hybrid and gasoline power train and on the other hand, hydrogen fuel cell.
This intentional design flexibility makes is possible for the vehicle to share parts. According to the Mercedes engineers, “The modular system makes it possible to efficiently utilize shared parts in all electric vehicles. These components range from the electric motor and transmission to the battery, high-voltage safety systems, high-voltage wiring, and software.”
The Mercedes Benz F 800 Concept uses the same fuel cell as the Mercedes B-Class F-Cell. The 800 Concept uses a 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor and has an electronically limited top speed of 112 mph.
The Mercedes F 800 Concept also uses 4 onboard high pressure tanks that stores hydrogen at 10,000 psi. This gives the F 800 Concept a driving range of around 372 miles, exceeding the 300 mile range barrier that most fuel cell car makers are trying to exceed. This Mercedes F 800 Concept can hold 5.2 kg of compressed hydrogen gas, which means it is able to achieve around 71.5 miles per gallon equivalent.
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