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We start to hear a soft whine, the sound of the compressor stuffing outside air into the fuel cell. That's the only mechanical sound you hear, growing slightly louder with acceleration. The more power you require, the more air needs to be pumped in. Oxygen in the air combines with the onboard hydrogen, generating electricity and an "exhaust" of pure water. The electricity is fed to an electric motor, which propels the F-cell. Foot on brake, shift the gear lever to D, and away we went. The electric motor provides maximum torque across all rpm, so there’s no buildup of acceleration here, just an instantaneous surge forward. The F-Cell's electric motor produces 210 Nm of torque (for comparison, the Honda City’s 1.5 VTEC generates only 142 Nm) and revs to 13,000 rpm. No gearchanges are necessary. With that torque instantly on tap, merging from driveways to fast-moving main street traffic is a cinch. Just spot a gap in the flow, squeeze the throttle, the car blips forward and you're in. The electric motor hums quietly, like an enormous RC car. Mercedes has timed the car's 0-100 km/h at a languid 14 seconds, but in-town performance is quite sprightly. Keeping up with and passing other traffic was effortless, and the car felt quick and light. So did the electric power steering. Combined with the short exterior, its nimble nature suited tight stop-and-go traffic. With all the heavy mechanicals tucked beneath the cabin floor, the low center of gravity helped the car respond well to sharp steering inputs. Release the throttle and the Mercedes coasts along as a normal car would in neutral; there are no pistons compressing air here. You can engage a simulated engine braking mode by slapping the gearlever to the left. This prompts the motor to play the role of generator, recharging the reserve battery. 65 kW of power translates to a 140 km/h top speed, certainly enough for city driving. Fuel economy is the equivalent of a diesel consuming 3 liters / 100 km (33.3 km/l). The 2 kg of hydrogen gas on board converts to a range of 160 km before refueling. For that, we drove to Singapore's first consumer hydrogen pump at a BP station. The pump's nozzle locks onto the fuel lid's with a twist lever, and we load up on hydrogen gas at S$25/kg. |
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