(VIDEO) An hydrogen Mercedes S-Class under development (F125!)

17 October 2011

Presented at the IAA the F125! concept envisions not only the style of the next generation’s S-Class but also its technology.

"This is a visionary outlook that's the direction we have to go with large cars," T. Weber

Because of emission standards, manufacturers have to use alternative propulsion and even more in large vehicles like the S Class that needs V8 and V12 to offer interesting performances...

But reducing emissions should not be at the expense of the range and flexibility of the vehicle.

"The most important key figure was 1,000, a range up to 1,000 kilometers [621 miles] completely emissions free," T. Weber

Mercedes is particularly interested in fuel cell (F-Cell) technologies that can offer zero emission vehicles (at exhaust pipe) with large range and a refiil time not exceeding few minutes ...

It is in this sense that Thomas Weber, head of research and development at Mercedes announced that a fuel cell S-Class would meet both regulations and expectations of its customers...

"This research car was built with the perspective of, what does a car in 2025 look like? -- more than two generations ahead," T. Weber

The F125 concept! is a fuel cell hybrid equipped with 4 wheel motors and that receives of new technologies (still under development):

-Storage of hydrogen through Kevlar-style tubes that take place in the interstices of the chassis and bodywork for increased storage capacity and greater stiffness of the structure.

-Lithium-sulfur battery which is announced as the technology of this decade

Advanced technologies, but realistic within a 10 to 15 years timeline...