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Visitors to this year's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance will find an uncharacteristically modern Mercedes on display next to the show's host of exquisite antiquities. To coincide with this year's Concours theme, "Alternate Power/Alternate Fuel," Mercedes will showcase their F-Cell propulsion vehicle along with a 1971 C111 prototype and a Benz Patent Motor Wagon.

The F-Cell, which is based on the Mercedes A-Class, is fueled by compressed hydrogen and is part of a fleet of 60 vehicles currently being tested by several corporate and municipal customers around the world.

According to Geoff Day, Mercedes-Benz Director of Communications and the keynote speaker for the event’s gala dinner: “We are pleased the event has turned its unique spotlight to alternate propulsion, which allows Mercedes-Benz to demonstrate its expertise in this field which includes the invention of the world’s first motorcar, the F-Cell fuel cell vehicle and the world’s lowest emissions diesel, the recently unveiled 2007 E320 CDI BLUETEC.”

For more info on Mercedes at the Amelia Concours d'Elegance as well as an overview of Mercedes' alternate fuel technologies, check out the full press release below.


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


MERCEDES-BENZ SPOTLIGHTS ALTERNATIVE POWER AT AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS


AMELIA ISLAND, Fla., March 10, 2006 – Mercedes-Benz will showcase its advanced F-Cell fuel cell propulsion vehicle at the 2006 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, March12, as part of this year’s Concours theme, “Alternate Power/Alternate Fuel.” Also in keeping with this focus, Mercedes-Benz will show a 1971 C 111 prototype used as a test-bed for both rotary and turbo-diesel engines and a Benz Patent Motor Wagon, the world’s first motorcar. Mercedes-Benz USA is a founding sponsor of the Concours.

“The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance has in 11 years become one of the premiere classic automobile events in the United States, and we are proud to continue our sponsorship,” said Geoff Day, Mercedes-Benz Director of Communications, who will also be the keynote speaker for the event’s Gala Dinner. “We are pleased the event has turned its unique spotlight to alternate propulsion, which allows Mercedes-Benz to demonstrate its expertise in this field which includes the invention of the world’s first motorcar, the F-Cell fuel cell vehicle and the world’s lowest emissions diesel, the recently unveiled 2007 E320 CDI BLUETEC.”

Based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class model currently sold in other markets, the F-Cell fuel cell vehicle is fueled by compressed hydrogen and is part of a fleet of 60 such vehicles leased by several corporate and municipal customers to test real-world viability.

The DaimlerChrysler F-Cell fleet of Mercedes-Benz models represents a significant step in the production of fuel-cell cars, which are electric vehicles that make their own electric power on board. The F-Cell car on display at the Amelia Concours d’Elegance will be used by the Wayne State University campus patrol in Detroit. Fuel cells are considered the cleanest and most promising propulsion systems for future cars.

Clean Diesel Technology for Today

Before fuel cell vehicles reach showrooms, Mercedes-Benz is offering vehicles that use another type of “alternate” fuel to achieve customer demands for outstanding performance and low fuel consumption, while introducing new environmental safeguards. In the fall of 2006, Mercedes-Benz will introduce its BLUETEC diesel technology in the 2007 E320 CDI sedan, powered by a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 common rail diesel (CRD) engine.

The BLUETEC system includes an oxidizing catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter, plus a combination of urea injection with a BLUETEC catalytic converter for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions. BLUETEC technology will also be used in other Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including SUVs, as well as Chrysler group vehicles. The new engine requires low-sulfur diesel fuel (15 ppm) that will become federally mandated this year.

In one coast-to-coast test, Mercedes-Benz advanced diesel technology recently proved to be more fuel-efficient than a gasoline hybrid technology in SUVs. The German car magazine Auto Bild conducted a 3,200-mile test drive from New York to San Francisco with two Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI models (European specification V-6 turbocharged common rail diesel) and a Lexus RX 400h gasoline hybrid model. The ML 320 CDI consumed an average of 9.1 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (2.4 gallons per 62 miles, or about 25.8 mpg), and the Lexus hybrid SUV averaged 10.2 liters per 100 kilometers (2.7 gallons per 62 miles, or about 23 mpg) – a nearly 11-percent advantage for the Mercedes-Benz CRD-powered vehicles.

Fuel Cell Milestones

Since the debut of the first NECAR vehicle in 1994, DaimlerChrysler AG has developed more than 20 concept vehicles utilizing fuel cell technology. With each new test vehicle, the size and weight of the system was reduced, while its power, efficiency and performance were improved:

1994: NECAR 1 was a large step van so filled with fuel-cell gear that there was room for only two researchers on board.

1996: NECAR 2 was a V-Class van that could seat six people, since most of the fuel-cell system was now stored in the cargo area. With hydrogen tanks on the roof, its cruising range was about 150 miles.

1997: NECAR 3 was the first fuel-cell vehicle based on the compact A-Class car. Its back seat area was filled with a methanol reformer that gave the car a range of 280 miles before refueling. The same year, the NEBUS (“New Electric bus”) demonstrated the feasibility of the fuel cell for public transportation.

1999: NECAR 4 was an A-Class model with the entire fuel-cell system housed in its sandwich floor, including a tank for liquid hydrogen that also gave it a range of 280 miles.

2001: The Hamburg shipping company Hermes Versand Service began testing a fuel cell-powered Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van in everyday service. This vehicle ran on gaseous hydrogen and had a range of 150 km (93 miles). Its 55 kW electric motor provided a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph). In its first year of operation, the fuel cell Sprinter covered more than 10,000 miles in all four seasons, delivering packages to 4,200 customers.

2004: NECAR 5 was an A-Class car with the fuel-cell system and a methanol reformer in its sandwich floor. This car became the first fuel-cell vehicle to complete a coast-to-coast trip, driving from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.

2004: F-Cell is an A-Class model with the entire fuel-cell system and compressed-hydrogen tank in the floor. Sixty of these Mercedes-Benz A-Class F-Cell vehicles were on the road by the end of 2004. In addition, 30 Citaro buses with F-Cell technology were in use in 10 European cities.

Diesel Milestones and Records

1936: Mercedes-Benz was the first carmaker to introduce a diesel-powered passenger car, the 260D.
1976: Mercedes-Benz introduced first turbocharged diesel passenger car, the 300SD S-Class model.

1976: The Mercedes-Benz C111 experimental car, originally a test bed for Wankel rotary engines in the early 1970s, was converted into a test vehicle for diesel technologies. The C111 II was powered by a 190-hp turbocharged version of the 5-cylinder diesel engine from the Mercedes-Benz 300D sedan. The car set 16 world speed records, three of which (over 5,000 miles, 10,000 kilometers and 10,000 miles) were absolute world records independent of the type of engine. Speed averaged about 150 mph.

1978: Encouraged by the potential of its turbodiesel technology, Mercedes-Benz returned to Italy’s Nardo circuit in 1978 with the C111 III. This was an all-out racing car with unprecedented aerodynamics, including a Cd of 0.183. Six world records were set during the 12-hour record-breaking run, with the C111 III achieving 321.860 km/h (200 mph) for the 500-km record.

2003: Mercedes-Benz F500 concept vehicle featured an advanced hybrid-diesel powertrain that promised high fuel mileage and emissions reduced by 20 percent. Electronic load sharing between a high-efficiency V8 diesel engine and a 50-kilowatt electric motor mounted ahead of its modified automatic transmission allowed the F500 to use the advantages of both powerplant designs.

2005: Three standard-production Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI models, equipped with a new 3.0-liter 221-hp V6 diesel engine (European version), set records for distances of 100,000 kilometers, 50,000 and 100,000 miles respectively in world-record times. The 100,000-mile record car achieved an average speed of 139.699 mph.

2006: Mercedes-Benz announces it will bring BLUETEC diesel technology to the U.S. in the fall of 2006 with the 2007 E320 CDI sedan. The ADAC (German Automobile Association) presents Mercedes Benz with its Yellow Angel award for BLUETEC clean diesel technology as Innovation of the Year.

Copyright © 2006, DaimlerChrysler AG

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