May 25, 2005- Today President George W. Bush reinforces the need for alternative fuel programs with a DaimlerChrysler F-Cell at a Washington D.C. hydrogen refueling station. The event marks another milestone in the progress DaimlerChrysler has made with a variety of vehicles through the Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Learning Demonstration Program. President Bush will visit the public station and participate in the refueling of the hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles. This event demonstrates zero emission technology and the hydrogen infrastructure that is being created.

The F-Cell on display with the President today is only one of the 30 fuel cell vehicles that DaimlerChrysler has committed to the United States under the DOE program. DaimlerChrysler has the largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles in the world including transportation buses, medium duty vans and passenger cars.

Through the DOE Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project, DaimlerChrysler will place more fuel cell vehicles in the hands of customers who will provide valuable feedback about performance in different conditions. DaimlerChrysler is testing over 100 fuel cell vehicles under varying weather, traffic conditions and driving styles in different locations worldwide. This experience will benefit the development of the fuel cell automobile and how it will be refueled. BP is the energy partner of DaimlerChrysler in the project. BP recently opened the first public hydrogen refueling station in Southfield, MI., with DTE Energy Company. Another station was opened in a cooperative effort between BP and Praxair at the Los Angeles International Airport.

The F-Cell is a reflection of DaimlerChrysler's leadership in fuel cell technology. The entire fuel cell system is housed in the floor of the vehicle, leaving full use of the passenger and cargo spaces. It has a range of approximately 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. The electric motor develops 88 hp (65 kW), enabling acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 16 seconds. The stack is developed by the DaimlerChrysler’s cooperation partner, Ballard Power Systems.

DaimlerChrysler has been involved in fuel cell technology for more than 10 years. Fuel cells release energy from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen with a catalyst. This clean technology operates to a high level of efficiency and is true zero emission. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles emit only pure water vapor as exhaust. Fuel cell vehicles are part of DaimlerChrysler's advanced propulsion technology umbrella, which also includes exceptionally efficient gasoline engines, advanced diesels, alternative fuels and hybrid powertrain systems.

Source: http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com