The technology group The Linde Group has been selected by Mercedes-Benz as the exclusive hydrogen partner for the F-CELL World Drive. This endurance trip will send three B-Class F-CELL hydrogen-powered fuel-cell cars right around the world. Over the entire tour, Linde will be the sole supplier of mobile hydrogen for the zero-emissions F-CELL models. Due to start on 30 January from Stuttgart, Germany, the trip will take each of the cars around 30,000 km across four continents and 14 countries in 125 days.
Specially for the tour, Linde and Mercedes-Benz co-developed a new mobile 700-bar refuelling unit based on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. This houses all the technology required to compress and fuel H2 on the move. Key design criteria included 700-bar refuelling pressure and a compact footprint for easy transport by air. Linde also developed the entire H2 supply and logistics concept for the 400 or so refuelling stops planned around the globe, remote regions included. Linde will supply around 18,000 normal m3 of hydrogen in total for the tour.
Looking beyond the F-CELL World Drive, Daimler and Linde are working closely together on other projects to secure hydrogen supplies over the coming years as the number of fuel-cell cars on the roads increases. Both companies have been actively involved in the ‘H2 Mobility’ initiative since 2009 for instance. Many big players, including companies from the oil and utilities sectors, have teamed up to build a nationwide H2 infrastructure in Germany under the umbrella of ‘H2 Mobility’.
- Linde AG, Germany
