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Hollywood stars drink hydrogen B-Class F-Cell emission water in Death Valley [UPDATE]

A plug-in electric vehicle can be used to power a house during a winter storm, but if you're more worried about the heat of, say, Death Valley, then maybe you'll want a Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell along. That's the message of a new video from Daimler and starring Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and Joshua Jackson (Fringe) that promotes the company's hydrogen-powered car. The gist? You can drink the tailpipe emissions. The two Hollywood stars drove in Death Vally without any water in their F-Cell but had a special tank hooked up to the tailpipe to collect the H2O drips as they drove in 100+ degree temperatures. There's a reason these two actors were chosen, since they've been driving an F-Cell in their daily lives for two years, according to the Diamler press release. The text is, shall we say, a bit hyperbolic - "Their lives rely on the emissions of the B-Class F-CELL" it says, totally ignoring the film crew that is obviously along for the ride and more than likely had a few bottles with them. Also, when the California Fuel Cell Partnership promoted the same idea a few years ago, it clarified that, "A fuel cell doesn't produce enough water to fill your glass. ... If fact, fuel cells produce about the same amount of water as gasoline vehicle – about 1/3 cup for a full day of driving." Thus, this whole thing is a Hollywood stunt, but it's a visually effective one. See for yourself in the mini-movie below. UPDATE: Daimler has told AutoblogGreen that there was no "extra Hollywood magic" needed for the water collected in the video. Instead, Madeleine Herdlitschka, who works at global communications for Mercedes-Benz Cars, said, "Considering the technical characteristics, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL emits about 9 kg of water vapor per kg of hydrogen while driving. The vehicle has a hydrogen capacity of about 3.7 kg, what is sufficient for a max. of about 400 km of range. A tailor-made construction, designed by the production company Markenfilm Crossing in cooperation with our fuel cell experts, made it possible to collect the water in a tank - previously cooling the vapor with a specially designed pipe system." This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Aston Martin signs Letter of Intent for technical partnership with AMG

A little over two months ago came reports that Daimler and Aston Martin were in talks, again, about "supply and technical-cooperation agreements." The next step has been taken with Aston Martin announcing that it has signed a Letter of Intent that looks "towards a technical partnership" with Mercedes-AMG GmbH, and the two companies aiming to have definitive agreements done by year's end.
While it will get to use certain electric and electronic components from AMG, the true golden egg for the maker of the Vanquish will be the ability to develop a new line of "bespoke V8 powertrains" that will be fitted to "a new generation of models." In return for opening up the larder, Daimler will get a non-voting stake of up to five percent of Aston Martin.
Nothing else is being said about the tie-up for the moment, but there's a press release below with a few more details.

Mercedes-Benz V-ision e Concept ups the plug-in hybrid van game

The various V-Class vehicles from Mercedes-Benz don't get a lot of press around here, but when the German automaker brings something as unusual as the Concept V-ision E (yes, there's a dash in the name) to the Geneva Motor Show, we're happy to make an exception. The standard powertrain V-Class was first unveiled in Geneva last year and it returns in 2015 as a decidedly Daimleresque take on a plug-in hybrid van with a whole heap of cool new technology under the hood. C'mon, you know you want a luxury plug-in hybrid van. Well, if you think you don't want a van like that, listen to the specs and maybe you'll change your mind. It's got an all-electric range of up to 31 miles (if you're going no faster than 50 mile per hour), roughly 78 miles per gallon equivalent (based on the stated fuel economy of 3.0 liters burned per 100 kilometers) and a top speed of 128 mph. That should be plenty to get the basketball team to the tournament on time and in style. The powertrain has a total system output of 333 horsepower thanks to a four-cylinder engine and a 90-kW electric motor. If those numbers sound vaguely familiar, that's because Mercedes said it's "the same advanced drive system" as what's found in the Mercedes-Benz C 350 e, even though some of the performance figures differ. Stylistically, Mercedes has pulled no punches, adding two sun roofs, a real wood floor, nappa leather and executive seats along with something shiny and silver called "designo titanium alubeam" paint. In short, this is an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to PHEV design, and we like it. It's just a concept, though, so don't go asking to buy one just yet. Instead take a better look in the gallery above and dream of going to the auto show prom in a van like this. V-Class concept car with a PLUG-IN HYBRID drive: Mercedes-Benz Concept V-ision e - Higher Performance at Lower CO2 Emissions Stuttgart, Mar 03, 2015 At the Geneva International Motor Show the Concept V-ision e from Mercedes-Benz presents a preview of the great variety of development potential offered by the V-Class. The concept vehicle combines environmentally friendly performance with the lightness of modern luxury. The most advanced PLUG-IN HYBRID technology available ensures extremely powerful propulsion in the model, as the highly efficient drive-system duo consisting of a gasoline engine and an electric motor delivers total system output of 245 kW (333 hp) and system torque of up to 600 Nm.