DaimlerChrysler's NECAR 5 Arrives at U.S. Capitol to Complete First Ever Fuel-Cell Powered Cross Country Trip

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DaimlerChrysler's NECAR 5 Arrives at U.S. Capitol to Complete First Ever Fuel-Cell Powered Cross Country Trip

* Senators Levin and Voinovich to Welcome Team to Washington

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, Jun. 4 -/E-Wire/-- On Monday May 20, a team of engineers from DaimlerChrysler left San Francisco and headed east for Washington, D.C. driving in their NECAR 5 fuel cell vehicle. The historic journey will be complete today at 11:30 a.m. when the vehicle crosses their East Coast finish line at Peace Circle, at the West front of the Capitol near the Reflecting Pool, where they will be welcomed by Senate Auto Caucus Chairmen Carl Levin of Michigan and George Voinovich of Ohio. The vehicle will then be displayed between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the East front of the Capitol, at the foot of the Senate steps.

This cross-country trip was the first attempt ever to drive a fuel cell car as far as 3,000 miles or more. Upon their arrival, they will have completed a landmark endurance challenge, the cross-country run, of great technical and societal significance relative to the future of transportation and energy in our country.

The DaimlerChrysler team left from San Francisco on May 20 crossing the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. A fuel cell powered vehicle has never been driven the length of the United States, nor has one ever endured the strain of extended high elevations and extreme weather conditions. On Thursday, May 30, the vehicle reached Lansing, Michigan where it was shown to Governor Engler and the State Legislature. From Michigan it crossed through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and on to Washington, D.C. and the Capitol Building.

The environmentally friendly vehicle reaches speeds of more than 90 miles- per-hour and can travel about 300 miles on a tank of methanol. What is yet to be proved is how durable an automotive fuel-cell stack can potentially be.

The longest trip DaimlerChrysler has previously embarked upon with a fuel cell powered vehicle was a 600-mile trip in California in 2001. "Our goal was to make it to Washington, D.C. to deliver the message that fuel cell technology is moving forward, but that there is still a much work to do. Whether we made it or not, it is critical for the development of fuel cell technology to try," said Dr. Ferdinand Panik, head of DaimlerChrysler's fuel cell project group and outgoing chairman of the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

The entire BallardÂ® fuel cell drive system -- including the methanol reformer -- has been installed in the underbody of a Mercedes-Benz A-Class for the very first time in NECAR 5. The vehicle therefore provides about as much space as a conventional Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

DaimlerChrysler is investing more than $1 billion to develop and commercialize fuel cells for cars and buses as an alternative power source to the internal combustion engine, but many obstacles remain, including fuel cell stack longevity and endurance.

"With this journey we are sending an important message to the world that tremendous progress is taking place in the development of fuel cell powered vehicles. We have reduced the size and now we are working on enhancing endurance. However, we are still in the early stages of commercialization: the ultimate hurdles will be affordability and fuel infrastructure," stated Bernard Robertson, DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President, Engineering Technologies and Regulatory Affairs.

The NECAR 5 team is led by Wolfgang Weiss, a DaimlerChrysler representative based at the California Fuel Cell Partnership office in Sacramento, California. The vehicle is fueled with liquid methanol, one of a number of potential fuels that could be used for fuel cell vehicles. The methanol, provided by Methanex has been delivered in advance to different points along the route to allow for refueling every 300 miles.

DaimlerChrysler Corp.

Stuart Schorr [REDACTED-PHONE],

Max Gates [REDACTED-PHONE],

Fred Heiler Mercedes-Benz USA [REDACTED-PHONE]

http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com

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