From the Fuel Cells 2000 website:
DAIMLERCHRYSLER UNVEILS NEWEST FUEL CELL VEHICLE
NECARs Come to Washington: "the start of something big"
(Washington, DC - March 17, 1999) - Fuel Cells 2000 welcomed the pioneering family of DaimlerChrysler fuel cell vehicles to
Washington today (Wednesday, 3/17). “As the song goes, this is the start of something big,” said Robert Rose, executive
director of Fuel Cells 2000.
DaimlerChrysler unveiled its fourth generation fuel cell passenger vehicle, called NECAR IV, for New Electric Car. Also on
hand were the first three generations of fuel cell vehicles, which provide a short hardware history of the extraordinary progress
of fuel cell technology for vehicle use.
In NECAR I, the fuel cell and fuel tank take up the entire cargo area of a small Mercedes van. The latest versions carry the fuel
cell engine in a typical engine compartment. And the fuel cells themselves are several times more powerful than the first model.
“Daimler Benz changed the face of the fuel cell industry by being bold in its research and development strategy, and by its
willingness to commit enough money to give fuel cells a fair chance. While U.S. auto makers were content to build fuel cells in a
laboratory, Daimler simply bought one, stuck it in the back of a van and drove it around for a few thousand kilometers.
Daimler's success impressed and emboldened the entire auto industry. Now, several companies are aiming at
commercial-ready technologies within five years or so," Rose said.
Rose noted that Daimler's advances will impact not only the auto industry, but energy generation for other needs, as well.
"Make no mistake, what's proposed here is a fundamental shift in vehicle technology, and more broadly, in the way we think
about energy. There is terrific competition from conventional technologies and innovative engines. But if fuel cells emerge as the
future technology of choice, these years will be revered by historians as the beginning of a better future," Rose said. |
