A Gassy Group

This past Sunday, 15 of the 19 delivered Mercedes Benz F-Cell hydrogen fuel cell vehicles gathered together at a lunch organized and sponsored by Mercedes-Benz. 

A meeting of drivers of a similar model vehicle is nothing special in any way.  I do this nearly every weekend with various other vehicles I own.  What made this meeting extraordinary was the fact that it was, quite possibly, the first time that a group of actual end consumer paying customers of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles gathered together.  Not auto manufacturer representatives, not journalists, not test trial drivers or alternative fuel lobbyists and supporters.  This was the first time actual paying customers of a hydrogen fuel cell production vehicle produced/to be produced in any serious quantity gathered together to share experiences and ideas.  Hosted by the good folks at Mercedes-Benz, this was the first time many of us F-Cell drivers had to met any of our fellow fuel cell drivers. 

The drivers were of different age and professional backgrounds, but most of shared a common interest in alternative fuel vehicles and strongly supported a sustainable, practical and environmentally friendly propulsion technology for automobiles.  Having the identical cars, many of us shared similar experiences regarding the vehicles, realizing that the technology itself and the vehicles were ready for prime time.  The single biggest challenge, as we are all aware and we all agreed during the event, was the refueling infrastructure. 

One fact I learned during our discussions was that our US federal government is not as big of a supporter of hydrogen fuel cell technology as we were lead to think.  Our federal government is currently supporting plug in battery technology for companies like GM’s hybrid Chevy Volt, as well as full electric cars from companies like Nissan and Tesla and Coda.  But apparently, most of the public support and financial funding for hydrogen fuel cell technology has come not from the federal government, but from the State of California.  And thus explains why California has the greatest hydrogen refueling infrastructure of any state, as limited as it still is. 

The key realization that the F-Cell driving group came to was that we, as paying fuel cell car consumers, are in a very unique position to be strong technological advocates and ambassadors of hydrogen fuel cells, and possessed a greater and credible voice of support for the technology, even more that companies and organization already affiliated with the cause.  We would need to actively participate, support and organize to promote the technology and spread the word with the general driving public that hydrogen fuel cells were a viable and realistic revolution in personal conveyance, hindered only by an infrastructure challenge. 

With guidance and support from Mercedes-Benz, the F-Cell drivers all looked forward to actively participating in events and opportunities to further promote this technology with our car driving peers. Stay tuned for more group activities as we work to further our common cause and help raise awareness, and more important, purchase consideration for this technology.  

Anyone interested in leasing one of these F-Cells should inquire with me and I will help pass along your interest to the appropriate people at Mercedes-Benz.  

  

AltCar Expo Santa Monica

The sunny beachside city of Santa Monica played host to the sixth annual AltCar Expo, a consumer and trade show focused on alternative energy vehicles and the businesses and services associated with this industry.  I've been personally attending this event for the last three years and it's incredible to see the progress that's been made since I first started visiting as a mere "interested consumer".

Years ago, other than the hybrid Prius, there really wasn't a viable full electric vehicle that was available for serious electric car consumers to consider.  We saw 'concepts' and 'experimental' vehicles which promised the zero emissions we wanted, but most of it was merely there for show and not for go.  Not so this year; between the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, various versions of the Priuseseses, along with plug in electric cars from Coda, Wheego, Mitsubishi, Smart as well as hydrogen fuel cell cars from GM, Honda, Nissan and Mercedes Benz, there were a variable fleet of cars available to test drive.  And I'm not just talking around the parking lot.  Attendees were permitted to drive on actual streets, in real life driving conditions, dodging buses, bicycle riders and tourists in rental cars.  

In addition, there was plenty to see as far as upcoming future cars on display, including the Fisker hybrid, the electric BMW 1-series and many more.  

It was amazing to see the number of people who turned out to sample all the different types of alternative fuel  vehicles available on the road today. And as a current driver of a Mercedes F-Cell, I was able to share in my experiences driving a fuel cell vehicle and help promote the technology.  I was also able to share my unbiased opinions and frankly state my opinions, mostly positive, about the F-Cell with other interested motorists.  I even shared a debate on counting the entire production, usage and disposal lifespan of a car when considering its total "environmental" impact.  

From "interested consumer" to "technology ambassador" in a short three years.  Not bad!  Not bad at all ;)