About Batteries and Fuel Cells ...

... is not very much to say but : we know that all major automakers like Daimler and also small automakers like MES-DEA from Stabio/Switzerland, a subsidary of CEBI, who bought the "ZEBRA-Battery-Technology" from Daimler (AEG) in 1999, are still working on Hydrogen Fuel Cells for Electric Autos today (2008).

And : we don't know why !

Because ZEBRA-Batteries are working fine and reliable in Battery Electric Autos (BEAs) on the road today (2008), like in the ZEBRA-Twingo, the TH!NK City or the Solar-Taxi.

Even in NATO-Submarines.

The battery for the MES-DEA "ZEBRA-Twingo", for example, is sold today (2008) for ca. 10.000 Euro, the whole new car including the battery for about 20.000 Euro. Because only a few hundreds have been produced so far.

Already in 2003, MES-DEA proved, that a mass produced 21 kWh-Battery for the "ZEBRA-Twingo" could be produced for ca. 1540 USD and sold for ca. 2300 USD, in 2008 ca. 1500 Euro.

The battery for the "ZEBRA-A-Class" is about 2 times bigger than the battery for the "ZEBRA-Twingo" and could be sold for ca. 5000 USD (ca. 3200 EUR) hence.

So why build a "F-Cell-A-Class" in 2008 instead of a new, improved version of the 1997 "ZEBRA-A-Class" ?

Although CEBI (MES-DEA) could even improve the ZEBRA-Battery for the A-Class, since they had bought the ZEBRA-Technology from Daimler in 1999.

And although Daimler has improved the electric powertrain of the original 1997 ZEBRA-A-Class within the last 9 years.

Unfortunately this has not been made for a new, improved ZEBRA-version of the A-Class, but for a Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell-version, as you can see here :

ZEBRA-A-Class 1997 : BATTERY Electric Auto (BEA) ...

... F-Cell-A-Class 2008 : FUEL-CELL Electric Auto (FCEA)

A little bit strange : although in 2004 a new model of the Daimler A-Class was released, the 2008 F-Cell-A-Class is still the first model of the A-Class (W168), sold 1998 - 2004. Did you know, that the ZEBRA-A-Class is the original version of the A-Class ? That means, that the A-Class was originally designed as Battery Electric Auto (BEA) for California, because of the "California Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate".

In 1997 Daimler proudly wrote : "Both the entire drive train and the ZEBRA-Batterysystem can be accomodated comfortably in the doublefloor sandwich configuration of the A-Class."

With the 370 kg ZEBRA Z12-Battery in the sandwich floor of the A-Class, the famous 1997 "Elk-Test", in which the Gasoline-Version of this originally Electric Auto failed, as it rolled over, would have been passed and Daimler would not have had to develop the "Electronic Stability Program" (ESP) for the A-Class. Without the 370 kg-Battery, the car's center of gravity raised, what's not good for driving quick lane changes like in the "Elk-Test".

Brochure about the "ZEBRA-A-Class" published by Daimler in 1997

Article "Zellpeilung" published in the german magazine "ams" in issue 5/2008

Article "Out of Africa" published by "Beta Research & Development" in 2000

Technical Data Sheet of the ZEBRA Z12-Battery, published by MES-DEA in 2008

Presentation about ZEBRA costs at "EVS-20", published by MES-DEA in 2003

Website of "Air Liquide", a producer of Hydrogen with facilities worldwide

Find out more about Hydrogen Stations in the February 2008 issue of "Current EVents", the EAA-Newsletter.

Brochure about the ZEBRA-A-Class published by Daimler in 1997 :

Presentation about ZEBRA costs at "EVS-20", published by MES-DEA in 2003 :

Technical Data Sheet about new ZEBRA Z12 published by MES-DEA in 2008 :

EV = Electric Vehicle (e.g. ZEBRA-A-Class), HEV = Hybrid Electric Vehicle (e.g. Toyota "Prius")