Leading German technology company EDAG has successfully developed a fuel cell drive system for the Mercedes-Benz GLC. According to EDAG, the fuel cell technology that it has developed will not only help to electrify battery powered vehicles, but is also a promising technology for the alternative drive of the future.
Daimler is now actively promoting the Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL and considers the technology as an integral part of its drive strategy. In the GLC F-Cell, EDAG’s innovative fuel cell is used along with battery technology for a plug-in hybrid in a small series for the first time. The company says that thanks to the intelligent interaction between battery and fuel cell, the GLC F CELL offers motorists a combination of high mileage performance and short refuelling times that make it an ideal vehicle for everyday use as a purely electric companion for short and long distances.
As part of the development of this vehicle, EDAG was tasked with the integration development of the fuel cell drive system for the Mercedes GLC at the end of 2015. Daimler plans to start series production of the fuel cell version of the GLC shortly before it is launched in the market and the first batch of vehicles will soon be available to selected customers.
The EDAG Group dealt with development, validation and procurement – including sampling – of the fuel cell-specific body shell, exterior and interior components as well as the implementation of a specific low-voltage cable set. The team also had to deal with the integration of the new, alternative Daimler drive version with the ‘HVAC and cooling system’ and large parts of the overall vehicle protection.
Over 100 EDAG engineers worked at the Sindelfingen, Boblingen, Fulda and the newly established Bremen production site as part of a cross-disciplinary development team for Daimler AG’s project.
From January 2017, a team comprising 40 members from the EDAG Vehicle Prepare Centre supported Daimler AG in the construction of prototypes, pre-series vehicles and small-series production in the Hanseatic city.
Cosimo De Carlo, CEO of the EDAG Group, said: “We are very happy that our end-to-end competence in engineering has convinced our customer Daimler right up to the hardware realisation. We were happy to take on this project task in order to proactively shape the vehicle transformation process with our expertise and innovative power.”
After the vehicle is launched commercially, the EDAG Group will be entrusted with implementing and ensuring the supply of vehicle-specific spare parts for the aftersales market. EDAG says that with the project, it has further expanded its expertise in the area of H2 safety and hydrogen refuelling and qualified as a responsible engineering partner for this future-oriented drive technology.
