Mercedes will launch a hydrogen-fuelled version of its GLC SUV – with added plug-in power – before the end of 2017. Revealed at the brand’s ‘Road to the Future’ event in Stuttgart, the GLC F-CELL will be the first production fuel cell vehicle to get a usable all-electric range.
Head of strategy and product planning Wilko Stark dropped the bombshell at the conference last week, simply stating: “The fuel-cell is getting a plug”.
To date, all fuel cell vehicles – including the Hyundai ix35 FCV and Toyota Mirai – have run solely on hydrogen. Stark claims Merc’s proposal will help those people to whom hydrogen on its own isn’t a viable alternative to more conventional petrol or diesel engines.
The GLC F-CELL may use a conventional SUV bodyshell, but this particular model is rear-wheel-drive only. Total range is said to be in the region of 500km (310 miles) with a full tank and maximum charge. Mercedes claims the GLC F-CELL can do around 30 miles on electric power alone, while the two carbon fibre-encased tanks can hold 4kg of hydrogen and take around three minutes to fill.
As the car on display in Stuttgart was only a prototype, we’ve no information on performance or price. That said, E-Drive System Integration boss Jurgen Schenk said the GLC F-CELL would be sold “at a price the customers will accept”. An entry-level diesel model costs £34,950 and we expect a basic F-CELL to command a premium of at least £10,000 to £15,000.
Despite Mercedes dabbling in hydrogen technology in the early 2000s with a specially adapted limited series A-Class – and latterly a B-Class – the GLC will be the first model commercially available to the general public. It’ll launch in several key markets including Germany, Japan and the USA towards the end of 2017, with UK sales following later.
Bosses say the F-CELL combines the advantages of both zero-emission drive technologies – continuously optimising the use of both energy sources. The GLC therefore acts exactly like a conventional petrol-electric plug-in hybrid – and is likely to have the same ‘e-Save’ mode to conserve battery power for later use.
There are already eight petrol-electric plug-in hybrid models in the Mercedes line-up with two more following by 2017. One of these is expected to be the recently revealed E-Class Estate in E 350e guise, though the final model is still undisclosed. Daimler also announced the new Smart electric drive models would comprise both ForTwo and ForFour for the first time. Previously only the smaller, cheaper ForTwo had been available as an EV.
What do you think of the Mercedes GLC F-CELL? Would you consider a hydrogen-fuelled car? Let us know below...