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Five B-Class F-Cells go from SF-LA using public hydrogen stations

California's hydrogen islands in Los Angeles and San Francisco finally got the bridge they needed to become the "Hydrogen Highway." With the completion of a permanent public station in Coalinga built by FirstElement Fuel, 205 miles north of LA, 183 miles south of SF, fuel-cell-vehicle owners can complete the road trip without worry. Mercedes-Benz did just that with five B-Class F-Cell customers, spending three days covering 1,000 miles and filling up only at public permanent stations in Burbank, Coalinga, West Sacramento, and Emeryville. Mercedes says there are ten stations in California now, but more than 40 are scheduled to open in 2016, and about ten more every year after that through 2023, when there should be 123 open stations. The company's US fuel-cell fleet is 70 strong and has covered more than two million miles in the five years they've been on the roads here. On average that means each car has driven just 5,714 miles per year, but that number should go up now that they can stretch their hydrogen stacks. The press release below has more information. Nearly 1,000 fuel cell electric miles: Crossing California on Hydrogen - Five Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL complete emission-free drive from Los Angeles to Northern California while only filling up at public hydrogen stations - "California Hydrogen Highway" is connecting the dots - U.S. F-CELL customers have accumulated over 2 million miles since 2010 Stuttgart, Oct 27, 2015 - Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL customers ventured beyond Southern California last week for the very first time, while only filling up at existing public hydrogen stations along the route from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The opening of a new hydrogen station in Coalinga along the I-5 corridor made this opportunity possible. A team driving five B-Class F-CELL refilled at four permanent hydrogen fueling stations located in Burbank, Coalinga, West Sacramento and Emeryville, accumulating nearly 1,000 miles over the course of their three day trip. Three F-CELL customers were accompanied by a team from Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America based in Long Beach. The purpose of this unique road trip was to highlight the growing hydrogen station network and to show that the vision of the California Hydrogen Highway is becoming reality. Early adopter Loki Efaw who has been an F-CELL driver since 2011 believes fuel cells are the future: "I don't want a car that only takes me to work and back before I have to plug it in.

Mercedes-Petronas AMG W04 launched to little fanfare, lots of pressure [w/video]

No indoor cocktail hour for the launch of the W04, the newest chassis built by the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team. Instead, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton spent a morning in photo and video sessions at the track in Jerez, Spain then paused a moment to introduce the car. The team will want the W04 to demonstrate the World Championship credentials of the team personnel and one of the team drivers, instead of the mostly humble performances we've seen over the past three years.
The W04 has been fitted with a new five-element front wing, pushrod front and pull-rod rear suspension, a second-generation Coanda exhaust and an "aggressively packaged" rear end. A small vanity panel, à la Infiniti Red Bull's RB9, covers the stepped nose.
Team principal Ross Brawn has called it "a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication," but as much as we truly respect Brawn's abilities and achievements, we heard him say similar things about the updated W03 last year before almost every race weekend from about mid-season. We really hope he's right this time, and so does the team's newest driver, Lewis Hamilton. We'll do our best to ignore the parallels of the Mercedes F1 team having signed a sponsorship deal with Blackberry, another company trying to find its way back to the top and still struggling, and just point you to the video below of the W04 in action.

Brabus 600 brings a dose of black subtlety to Frankfurt

The latest AMG-fettled C-Class from Mercedes-Benz is a wonderful thing. It's turbocharged heart may displace just 4.0 liters, but that forced-induction powerhouse spits out 503 ponies and 516 pound-feet of torque. That's enough to satisfy even the most power-mad compact luxury sedan junkie, right? Apparently not, as the Brabus 600 now exists in this world, and it just debuted at the 2016 Frankfurt Motor Show. As its name suggests, the turbocharged wick has been increased up to 600 horsepower (or 591 if you're not metric) and 590 lb-ft of torque. Shuttled through all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission, that's enough gumption to push the Brabus 600 to 62 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds, which is a tenth quicker than the regular Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedan. Top speed nudges up from 180 mph to 186, or an even 300 kilometers per hour. Of course, this wouldn't be a proper Brabus if it didn't sport a bunch of body modifications, and the 600 doesn't disappoint. There are diffusers, spoilers, and wings galore in clear-coated carbon fiber with either a matte or shiny surface, depending on the buyer's preference. All of that looks pretty cool, but we're less smitten with the oversize fender outlets. Aluminum monoblock wheels measuring 20 inches in diameter and fitted with carbon accents round out the body kit. Inside, Brabus fits the 600 with a custom leather interior that can be tailored for each buyer. A new speedometer that goes to 340 kmh (211 mph), redesigned aluminum paddle shifters, and, of course, stainless steel scuff plates with a color-changing Brabus logo. Because who doesn't love subtlety? If you want to know more, there's a full press release down below. But what you really need to do is scroll through the image gallery above to take it all in. Enjoy. Related Video: World premiere at the IAA 2015 New from BRABUS: 600 horsepower, 800 Nm and 300 km/h for the Mercedes C 63S A rated power output of 441 kW / 600 HP (591 bhp). A peak torque of 800 Nm (590 lb-ft). A sprint time of 3.8 seconds from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph). A top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). And exclusive sporty options from aerodynamic enhancement and wheels to the suspension and the interior: At the 2015 IAA in Frankfurt am Main, BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone + 49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax + 49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, Internet www.brabus.com) presents an extensive tuning program for the new Mercedes C 63S in a world premiere.