10,000 in the Bank

A milestone was reached yesterday, at least for the F-Cell car itself.  It has reached the 10,000 mile mark since being put into service. Now, I can't claim all those miles, as the car itself was delivered to me with 2446 miles already on the clock.  Unlike a normal new car lease, these F-Cells need to undergo some preliminary testing, especially the early ones like mine.  It was probably also used for promotional events and appearances.  For all I know, Alec Baldwin's butt may have been sitting on my seat before it was decontaminated and delivered to me as new last May. 

So in the seven approximate months I've had it, I've driven 7554 miles, averaging 1080 miles per month.  My daily commute is around 40 miles round trip, with trips out to lunch and around town during the week.  I try not to use it on the weekends, as I feel I'm neglecting my other cars, but admittedly, being the easiest to drive of all my cars, it does make it out for weekend errands to the market and such.  

For everyday normal driving for most people, the F-Cell is perfect and can meet 99% of our needs.  With the exceptions of trips that require me to go beyond 70-ish miles from a fueling station, I've been able to use the F-Cell without hesitation.  My buddy in the Prius from Car and Coffee might argue that the range is unacceptable and not practical for Americans, but considering I've been able to do 1000 miles a month without using dino-juice with absolutely zero emissions, I think the few occasions where I've had to use my other petroleum powered car is a non-issue for the average 2+ car household. 

It's not the sportiest thing I've driven, it has no bells and whistles inside to amuse me or my passengers, and it certainly isn't the sexiest car on the road by no means, but as a daily commuter vehicle, I think the F-Cell continues to be ideal.  I reaffirm my previous statement: I see no reason or desire to ever go back to a normal gas-powered car for my daily commuter. 

Cars and Coffee Irvine California

 
Seeing how Mercedes Benz did nothing to promote the F-Cell during the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, I felt compelled to get some level of exposure for the car and the technology in Southern California.  So I drove it to the Cars and Coffee event down in Irvine, California this past weekend.  This is a weekly meet that takes place every Saturday morning and features several hundred cars that owners bring out to show and share with fellow Southern California motoring enthusiasts.  Everything from old and new cars, domestics and imports, any interesting car is invited to attend.  While I usually show up only in my other significantly more "interesting" cars, I thought it might be time to share the future of the automobile with my enthusiast peers.

While the F-Cell was largely ignored by the average person, there were enough people who's curiosity was piqued to stop and take notice at this weird sea-foam green colored Mercedes thing.  Most either didn't recognize the B-Class, or they did recognize it and were surprised to see a B-Class in the country.  Others knew exactly what the F-Cell was.  Others reinforced my biggest concern communicating about the F-Cell and the "hydrogen powered" sticker on the back, and that's that they thought the car burned hydrogen in a traditional internal combustion process. 

Either way, most people were happy to see the technology and those who didn't know were interested in hearing about it.  My strategic positioning regarding fuel cells was an easy pitch for most car guys to understand and accept: 1) energy independence  2) renewable energy  3) no change in consumer lifestyle - fill up and go  4) keeps gas stations and big oil in the business of retailing energy ie they will support it 5) zero emissions.


Biggest questions were, 1) where do you get hydrogen?  2) what's the range from one tank?  3) how much does hydrogen cost?  4) can you get one now?

In addition to verbally sharing the experience and the technology, I passed out some flyers that Mercedes Benz had provided, and I think there were a couple genuinely interested people.  So if I sold a few, I hope MBUSA sends me a commission check ;)

I even got into a debate with a silly Prius owner, who was actually being quite persistent in dismissing electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell technology as a "fad".  He must have been offended by my license plate.  After several interjections during my presentation to people, I finally had to chime in.  The Prius driver countered my claim that I get 170 miles from a tank of hydrogen.  He said he gets over 500 miles in his Prius.  I shot back that he's still burning fossil fuels and defeats the point of zero emissions and renewable energy.  I pointed out that a Chevy Suburban has a range of over 500 miles from a tank.  But he defended that he uses much less gas than a Suburban.  I finally nailed his coffin and said "you might only be touching one kid, but you're still a child molester."  That finally got him to leave. 

Besides, and with all apologies to you Prius drivers: who the hell brings a normal Prius out to a car meet?

2011 LA Auto Show: Mercedes Benz

So you might have been wondering; "you've named all these car companies with electric vehicles at the LA Auto Show, what about the company that makes the fuel cell car you're driving?"  I've been really debating how to go about this for the last couple days, but there really is no easy way to say this: Mercedes Benz didn't have anything at the LA Auto Show I could report on.

And it pains me to point out that Los Angeles is the only market where the Mercedes Benz F-Cell Hydrogen Fuel Cell car is currently available in the United States, and it's also the only real market in the US where there are enough hydrogen fueling stations to permit any consumer market for fuel cell vehicles.  Additionally, with the possible exception of the Tokyo Motor Show, the LA Auto Show is the single most significant international auto show to focus on alternative fuel and eco-friendly propulsion.  And despite all these facts, Mercedes Benz USA did not find the budget, the strategic marketing need, the brand building benefit or the sales importance to invest in having a F-Cell somewhere in the booth at the LA Auto show.

As previously discussed in prior posts, Mecedes Benz's competitors from Munich and Ingolstadt prominently had electric and alternative power vehicles on display.  In fact, electric and hybrid power were the cornerstones of BMW's press conference with the North American debut of their i3 and i8 concept vehicles, as well as the new 1-series based electric car.  They were still able to maintain their performance message by showing their new M5 sedan, the first time most people had seen it in person.  

While Audi's press conference focus was on their new sporty and performance oriented S8 and S6 models, they still found enough reason to have on the show floor their e-Tron Spyder concept as well as an A3 e-Tron concept hatchback which gives a preview of an actual production plug-in electric car.

Even Porsche had a dedicated section of their booth to their Hybrid technology, showcasing the Panamera hybrid sedan and the Cayenne hybrid SUV.  It seems like all of Mercedes Benz's German rivals found the marketing benefits and the strategic need to have some sort of alternative fuel technology as part of their overall marketing message during the LA Auto Show.  And this is in addition to all the Asian companies like Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Mitsubishi, as well as American companies like General Motors and Ford Motor Company who had some sort of alternative technology on display, somewhere in their booth.   


So it begs the question: what the hell was Mercedes-Benz USA thinking, and if they didn't show an F-Cell, what did they show?

As clearly seen with their German rivals, performance still sells, and Mercedes-Benz didn't lose any time promoting their AMG line of powerful cars, with the introduction of the ML63 AMG SUV.  Also on hand, rounding out the AMG message were the new C63 AMG coupe Black edition and the AMG SLS supercar.  They even found room to place a redundant C63 AMG sedan stickered up merely to promote the AMG Driving Academy.  They even found room to place a single Maybach 57, the slow selling, ultra-premium luxury sedan.  They even even found room to place a dedicated display for the Sprinter commercial vans.  And of course, on hand were all the other C, E, S, CL, GL and ML class sedans and SUVs.

By not having a F-Cell on the floor, at the same show they announced the introduction of the F-Cell last year, in the only region where the F-Cell is offered to customers, in the only market that can sustain a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, at the second most important international auto show for environmental and alternative fuel technology, I'm afraid it communicates that the F-Cell is of no consequence and marketing importance to Mercedes Benz USA, and is being supported only when it has to be because the German parent company Daimler dictates it to the US subsidiary. Additionally, the sales and marketing department of MBUSA, which presumably controls marketing dollars and auto show communications, finds absolutely no real benefit to promote fuel cell technology which is being, in essence, forced down it's throat by parent Daimler.  I am assuming that MBUSA's sales department sees the F-Cell as merely taking valuable resources and funding away from their primary objective, which is merely to move sheetmetal on the ground, with emphasis on profitable AMG sheetmetal at that, at its US dealer network.  At least this is the conclusion one can come to, based solely on what was seen at the LA Auto Show. 

While I agree with promoting and raising awareness of the important commercial vehicle market with the Sprinter commercial vans, MBUSA, through its auto show display at LA, is basically saying that the underwhelming Maybach brand, which already has a foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel, and a narrow-appeal, niche driving school, are both more important than the future of personal mobility.   

As a customer of Mercedes Benz's revolutionary F-Cell, and as an early acceptor of hydrogen fuel cell technology, I am extremely disappointed that MBUSA would fail to support Dailmer's global leadership position in hydrogen fuel cell technology by not showing the F-Cell in its most critical strategic market.  While more news on the subject of fuel cells may be in the works for the upcoming auto show in Detroit or during Daimler Chairman Dr. Zetsche's presentation during the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, to not have one F-Cell on the show floor in Los Angeles is a gross error in marketing communications judgement.  And if not my own convictions towards promoting future technologies, MBUSA need only look at every single booth of their major competitors to realize the critical tactical mistake made during the LA Auto Show.        

2011 LA Auto Show: BMW

BMW showcased two rehashed concept cars from earlier shows, the i3 and the i8 concepts. Both cars feature futuristic styling with electric and hybrid-electric powertrains.  While unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor show back in September, these cars were shown for the first time in North America.  Serving as the basis for a new sub-brand within the BMW family, the "i" cars will make it to production in a similar form to the concepts in two to three years time. 

In the meantime, BMW unveiled the upcoming Active E model, based on their existing 1-series coupe.  Similar to BMW's earlier attempt with their Mini Cooper E plug-in electric car, the BMW Active E is a plug-in electric with, you guessed it, a 100 mile range and around 4 hour recharge time using 240v.  

2011 LA Auto Show: Audi

The A3 e-tron was Audi's first attempt at developing a production all-electric vehicle.  Officially labeled as a "concept", the A3 e-tron shows Audi's desire to enter into the full electric area in the near future.  Based on the compact A3 5-door hatch platform, the A3 e-tron features around 90 miles range on a full charge, and can be recharged in around 3 hours using a 240v plug (sound familiar?). 

It seems that many companies are getting into the plug-in electric market and the standard range and recharge times are based on a balance between available resources, production costs, and consumer demands. 

2011 LA Auto Show: Coda

Here was a big surprise at this year's show: Coda.  What is Coda you ask?  It's a start up electric car company and the surprise was the fact that they has secured an exhibit area in the main halls of the LA Auto Show next to main stream brands.  Usually, smaller companies lack the capital to spend on a full fledged display and are usually relegated to the basement area next to the car wax vendors.

Coda offers full plug-in electric compact sedans with around a 100 mile range.  Which sounds competitive, as does the pricing. They obviously have significant funding to promote their brand aggressively.  Unfortunately, the car itself looks like a ten year old Korean car and is actually built in China.  Hmmm...

2011 LA Auto Show: Hyundai

The Koreans have been on an invincible train of success, designing and engineering cars that seem to look right, built well and are able to win over fans of traditional Japanese imports.  From the Sonata mid sized sedan to the Elantra compact to the Accent subcompact to the highly acclaimed Genesis sedan and coupes, Hyundai is taking on the Japanese full bore, even in the areas of economy and alternative fuels.

On display this year were the Sonata hybrid mid sized sedan as well as the experimental Tucson FCV fuel cell crossover SUV.  I've personally seen a few Tucsons fueling up at the Torrance station from time to time, and Hyundai recently sent a Tucson fuel cell vehicle on a cross country tour to promote their Hope on Wheels charity campaign helping children with cancer. 

2011 LA Auto Show: Mitsubishi

We really haven't heard much from Mitsubishi these days.  Struggling to recover from a devastating loss of market share in competitive segments like mid sized sedan and SUV's, Mitsubishi has refocused their corporate efforts on smaller, efficient vehicles and crossovers, and the new "i" hopes to recapture some buyers with an all-electric city car with a 100 mile range.

Available in the early part of 2012, the challenge with the "i" will be the price, which is almost the same as the bigger, better equipped, longer range Nissan Leaf.  And its polarizing styling may also find just as many critics as it does fans.

2011 LA Auto Show: Ford

While much of the news at the Ford Motor Company booth surrounded their new Escape crossover SUV and the refreshed Mustang, they did have on prominent display a trio of full electric vehicles which Ford will offer in the coming years.

The Focus EV is a plug in electric car and is based on the company's popular Focus 5-door hatch body.  Expected to go on sale in a matter of months for around $39,000, this new EV features a range of around 90 miles in mixed city and highway driving and can be recharged using a 240v plug in around 3 hours.

The C-Max Energi is a tall wagon/minivan similar in design to the Mercedes B-Class.  Ford will offer both hybrid and plug in hybrid powertrains in this versatile people mover and is expected to be available sometime in 2012.

The electric version of the Ford Transit Connect cargo/commercial van looks to revolutionize the world of delivery and commercial hauling with zero emissions.  Already available on the market, the plug in electric Transit Connect Electric features a 56 mile range per charge.

2011 LA Auto Show: Honda

We begin with the offerings from Honda, a company known for their technological leadership in alternative energy and powertrains.  Honda was the first company to introduce a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to the consumer market (albeit very very limited) and remains at the forefront of fuel cell technology. 

The Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, originally introduced back in 2008, remains the cornerstone of their communications message at the LA Auto Show.  Displayed prominently under their corporate banner inside their booth, the FCX Clarity represents the flagship of the Honda alternative fuel models and the eventual future of their quest to develop the revolution in personal mobility propulsion. 

Honda also showcased the all new Fit EV, a competitor to the Nissan Leaf that is already on the market.  The Fit EV is based on the same body style as the compact Fit five door hatch and will be available in limited markets including California starting in 2012 and will be offered only for lease at a reasonable $399 per month.  Honda claims a 76 mile average range for the Fit EV in mixed city and highway driving, and can be fully charged in 3 hours off a 240v plug. 

In addition to the Clarity FCX and the all new Fit EV, Honda offers additional vehicles for drivers wanting higher mileage through an extensive offering of hybrid vehicles and one powered by Natural Gas.  The NG Civic is based on the popular Civic sedan body and offers cleaner burning power thanks to Natural Gas propulsion.  The NG Civic also qualifies for access in the Carpool HOV lanes and will no doubt be a popular choice for commuters who no longer are able to use the lanes in standard hybrids. 


Honda also offers a trio of hybrid powertain vehicles, including the Civic sedan hybrid, the Insight 5-door hatch hybrid and the CRZ sporty hatch hybrid. 

2011 LA Auto Show

It's that time of year for the Los Angeles Auto Show.  Last year's show was the venue where Mercedes Benz announced the availability of the F-Cell Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle to customers in the Southern California market.  It's a full year later and we take a look at the show from an Electric Car, Hybrid Car, Plug-in Hybrid and Hydrogen Fuel Cell perspective.  We'll look at the latest and greatest in alternative energy technology in the largest market for clean vehicles in the world. 

The Future Needs to Look Like The Future

It has been exactly six months since I first took delivery of the F-Cell back in May, and I have now driven the car a grand total of 6810 miles so far.  To date, there are no major issues to really report and overall, the car has assimilated seamlessly into my daily commute routine.  Aside from the need to more frequently refuel (again, an average range of about 170 miles per tank), and the need to refill at specific stations only (mostly Torrance and on occasion, Culver City), there hasn't really been any changes to my life driving an electric fuel cell vehicle.

But is that such a good thing?  My writings have been pretty much peaches and cream for the most part with no big complaints and nothing really notable to bring up.  And there in lies my biggest criticism of the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell: it's just like any other car.

And I understand the strategy that Mercedes-Benz has taken with this first attempt at bringing a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to market: "Look, it's absolutely no different than your normal gas car!"  They have gone to great lengths to make the F-Cell as indistinguishable from a normal B200 gas powered model, and aside from a few exterior labels, the seafoam colored paint and the subtle screen in the nav display that shows the energy flow, the average Joe Driver would be hard pressed to discern the difference between the F-Cell and a typical B200.  And I contend this strategy taken by Mercedes-Benz is a huge mistake.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles, as we all know, still cost a fortune to produce.  The Fuel Cell stack requires precious metals and the entire vehicle needs to amortize decades of research and development investments.  Mercedes-Benz will never admit it, but they currently lose an exorbitant amount of money for every F-Cell car they lease out and put on the road.  And that's true for virtually every new technology available to consumers, from mobile phones to tablets to PC's to video games. The recoup of investment is made through the eventual volume sales that are achieved, and the sustained sales by promoting the "next best thing", and luring customers to trade up every few years, continuing the viscous cycle of American consumerism. 

But when Sony launches a new video game system, they don't make it "look" like the old system.  When Samsung introduces a new mobile phone, they don't boast in their marketing how indistinguishable it is from their old phone.  People like "the next best thing" and early technology acceptors actually WANT to experience new procedures and processes.

I argue that the first pioneers of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (myself included) aren't "Greenies" who plant trees and hug whales, but are "Techies" who are looking for the next big thing in personal conveyance.  And if you profile the average "Greenie", I'll be frank and say that they can't afford a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.  $900 a month lease is nothing to sneeze at, and no matter how you cut the math with the inclusive fuel and the insurance, that's still $900 of your hard earned buck out of pocket every single month.  Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles aren't a necessity, it's still a luxury, just like an expensive smart phone or tablet device, allowing only "Techys" to embrace the cost of admission, and relegating "Greenies" to their beat up used Toyota Priuseses with Obama stickers and 1984 Mercedes 300TD Hart to Hart biodiesel-converted wagons. 

The current B-Class, and the F-Cell that is based on it, is already on it's way out (see previous post on the all-new 2012 Mercedes B-Class introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show below).  The new platform on which the new B-Class sits has also been developed to accept "future powertrains" which we all presume will include hybrid, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.  And while many improvements have been made to the exterior and interior of the car, I'm afraid it too, isn't enough to wow the early acceptors of this new hydrogen fuel cell technology.

The Nissan Leaf is a good case study of developing a complete package of not only technological achievement, but one of "packaging" achievement as well.  The exterior design, with its high mounted unique headlights and LED tail lights shows other motorists that this is something truly unique and special.  Step inside and you are greeted by a simple yet elegantly styled dash and center console that houses neat lights and screens and monitors that clearly defines it as tomorrow's car.  Whether people actually use all the bells and whistles in the Leaf is of in consequence, just like half of the features of the Apple iPad are probably never accessed by most customers.  But the mere fact that these "toys" exist drives up the emotional desire for this product which is already sold in the pragmatic side of the brain through it's actual technological capabilities.  Mercedes-Benz needs to take a hard look at the Nissan Leaf and learn from this marketing and packaging success story, especially when it comes to the American market. 

The new B-Class continues on with an understated and unassuming design, and I'm concerned that the fuel cell version, slated for introduction in 2014, won't be able to make the visual impact that the Leaf, Volt and even Prius are able to achieve in the eyes of the general public.  In addition, the new 2014 Mercedes F-Cell will be up against a whole new crop of technological vehicles from newcomers like Tesla, Fiskar and Mitsubishi, all of which, I might add, look like nothing else currently on the road and are loaded with gadgetry.  Unless some serious upgrades are made to the on board technologies seen through the nav screen and the instrument cluster on the new 2014 F-Cell, and provide both the actual and perceived sense of "cutting edge technology", all of Mercedes-Benz's efforts to perfect and produce this amazing piece of engineering will fail to attract new customers to the mix based merely on the marketing and packaging shortcomings.  And that would be a shame.

Irack

Against the efficiencies of aerodynamics, I have installed a set of factory accessory roof rack attachments to the F-Cell, and I candidly admit, I did it not out of utility, but out of visual appearance. 

The B-Class body on which the F-Cell is based is extremely versatile and allows for the rear bench seat to fold down like a station wagon. With its tall roofline, I frequently use the F-Cell to schlep stuff back from IKEA as well as bikes and sets of wheels and tires when helping friends at the race track.  And I don't kayack or surf or do things the average Nissan Xterra driver is supposed to do according to the TV commercials, so other than making the tall dorky roofline of the F-Cell look more "utility", the racks I've installed honestly don't serve any practical purpose to me. 

That being said, I believe the overall "look" of the pragmatic yet unsexy B-Class body has been improved, giving a, dare I say "rugged and outdoorsy" style to the car.  This is the first of several slight modifications I'd like to perform on the car to make it generally more interesting to look at and also engaging to drive. 

The racks are geniune Mercedes accessories that I purchased while on a recent business trip to Toronto, Canada.  The B-Class is sold up there in the great white north, as I guess Mercedes knows Canadians aren't as wealthy, or shall we say, "leveraged" as their friends south of their border.  So unlike the purpose built Nissan Leaf with its unique body panels, the F-Cell is just like any old B-Class sold in Canada, and can be easily fitted with the multitudes of available accessories.  Granted, the F-Cell is a leased car so you don't want to go crazy on it and add parts that you can't later remove, but even in the short period of time I'll be driving it, I believe some personalization would be nice.  Especially now that Mercedes has delivered 20 of these cars in the LA region and I'm starting to see myself going the opposite way on the freeways (sarcasm).