World’s first fuel-cell, electric hybrid car by Mercedes-Benz

Developers at Mercedes-Benz have been successful at combining two environmentally responsible drive technologies by giving birth to the world's first fuel-cell, electric hybrid car — the Mercedes GLC-CELL.

Reducing the size of the all-new fuel-cell system by almost 30 per cent, the new Mercedes GLC-CELL can be fully housed in the popular SUV's engine compartment.

The vehicle has been rated at approximately 9KWh and the storage unit serves as an energy source for an additional electric motor, which can also be changed externally. The drive system of the car is connected via electric cables.

The engineers at Mercedes have succeeded in making a substantial optimisation from the financial angle too. For example, a reduction in the amount of platinum used in the fuel cell alone has enabled costs to be slashed by a staggering 90 per cent.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL will soon be rolling off the production line in Bremen along with the other C-Class models. Presently, preparations for series productions are under way.