Daimler AG’s passenger car brand Mercedes-Benz will be pulling the plug on its efforts directed towards the development of hydrogen powered fuel cell cars.

The German automaker citied excessively high costs involved with the technology as the major reason behind this decision.

Mercedes-Benz had started developing hydrogen powered more than 30 years ago. The major advantages of fuel cell powered vehicles as opposed to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) including faster refuelling, longer range and emissions that include solely water vapour. However, on the downside, fuel-cell vehicles cost twice as much as an equivalent BEV.

Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Nissan had formed a collaboration to further develop the fuel cell technologies. Although the other two partners never really launched a hydrogen powered vehicle, in 2013 Mercedes-Benz did go ahead and launch the GLC F-Cell Crossover.

The GLC F-Cell was never produced in large numbers. Only a few hundred vehicles have been manufactured, majority of which were reserved for business promotions. The hydrogen powered Mercedes-Benz was never really made available to the general public.

Although, Mercedes-Benz may have given up on fuel cell powered cars, its parent company Daimler, recently announced a joint venture with the Volvo Group to produce fuel cells for heavy-duty applications in commercial vehicles. Other OEMs like Toyota, BMW and Hyundai are still betting big on hydrogen to power next generation of emission-free cars.

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Mercedes-Benz giving up on development of fuel cell cars
Modified on Thursday 23rd April 2020
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Mercedes-Benz giving up on development of fuel cell cars