Despite the differences in the conditions and constellations at the four test locations, DaimlerChrysler is essentially focusing on four key aspects: the performance of the fuel cell vehicles in everyday use; their reliability; the customers’ experience of, and reaction to, the vehicles; and the broad topic of infrastructural issues, ranging from the production and distribution of hydrogen - including tank and filling technology - to the question of technical service for the vehicles and training for workshop technicians. Last but not least, the global field test will also make it possible to draw up, in close cooperation with the relevant authorities, regulatory standards for the operation of such vehicles and the requisite infrastructure.

Service garages and engineers belong to the newly installed infrastructure for hydrogend powered vehicles.

For the engineers involved in the project, the focus is naturally on the vehicles themselves. On this occasion, however, and for the first time ever, the people actually behind the wheel of the F-Cell vehicles will be relatively indifferent to the technical innovations of the drive system under the hood. After all, for a UPS deliveryman or a service technician with Deutsche Telekom, what really counts about a company vehicle is that it gets you around quickly and reliably. And the same applies to Ewold Seeba from the Chancellor’s Office. Despite his enthusiasm for the project, he would be unhappy if a vehicle breakdown caused him to be late for a meeting. “The aim of the field trials is to show us exactly where we are with the F-Cell. That’s why the everyday context is so important,” underlines Matthias Wolfsteiner from the Department of Fuel Cells & Alternative Drives at DaimlerChrysler Development.

An on-board computer records the technical data of the F-Cell, engineers recall it via WLAN. The field trials also involve an immense logistical effort. While the vehicles should ideally remain with the test partners the whole time, the engineers still want to be kept informed about the daily operation of the vehicles, their performance and technical problems that arise. This is why a small onboard computer records all the relevant data from each vehicle, which are then transmitted daily via a W-LAN to a computer station at the customer’s site and from there via Internet to DaimlerChrysler engineers at various company locations, including Sindelfingen, which is where the project as a whole is being coordinated.

Just as important as the practical tests, however, is the question of how customers react to the vehicles, how satisfied they are with the technology, what they demand from this type of drive system, and whether they have any complaints. A DaimlerChrysler research group headed by André Metzner is responsible for monitoring levels of customer acceptance. Based in Berlin at the company’s Department of Technology and Society, the interdisciplinary team has been charged with the development of a marketing concept for fuel cell vehicles, especially for Germany.

Seeking customers with pioneer spirit

Metzner’s group was also involved in selecting the test partners. “We looked for customers with a pioneering spirit - people who know that they are not going to get an absolutely perfect car. At the same time, they should also share the environmental goals that we associate with fuel cell drive systems,” explains Metzner. Most of the industrial customers are companies that generally run huge vehicle fleets. In Germany, for example, the telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom operates around 40,000 vehicles.

Three F-Cell vehicles are employed by the Deutsche Telekom in Berlin.

“Deutsche Telekom is committed to sustainability in general as well as a reduction in the emission of pollutants and CO2, particularly in metropolitan areas,” says Petra Mertens, who is responsible for Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development at the company’s Department of Sales and Marketing. “We already have natural gas-powered vehicles in our fleet, and so the F-Cell was the next logical step,” she says. All in all, Deutsche Telekom is testing three fuel cell vehicles in Berlin: one will be used in the fleet of the company branch in the German capital, another one by representatives visiting customers and the third for normal customer service.

First-hand experience

The fact that petroleum companies, power generators and gas suppliers are prominent on the list of test partners reveals the extent to which participation in the F-Cell Project is also bound up with major business interests. For example, Tokyo Gas in Japan was highly eager to come on board. “We have a large-scale natural-gas supply infrastructure in the area surrounding Tokyo, and we believe we can utilize this infrastructure to develop a business related to hydrogen supply. With regard to hydrogen-related business, it is extremely important to determine what type of business will be developed, when, and on what scale. We believe the key factor is the market penetration of fuel cells, especially fuel cell vehicles,” says Takehiko Kondo, Head of the Hydrogen Business Project at the Research & Development Division of Tokyo Gas, adding that “this will represent a great incentive for energy suppliers to invest in building a hydrogen infrastructure which, in turn, will promote the development and commercialization of the vehicle technology. The close alliance between the energy and automobile industries thus forms the key to successful business development.” The company, which is also testing another fuel cell vehicle from a rival manufacturer, is chiefly interested in gaining a first-hand impression of the performance and attractiveness of this drive technology.

Tokyo Gas, a supplier of natural gas, is testing the F-Cell and thus sounding out the possibility to include hydrogen in their range.

From a marketing point of view, it obviously makes sense to look initially for F-Cell customers among the big fleet operators. That’s because it is much easier to create a fuel and service infrastructure for a fleet-based operation than to provide the widespread and comprehensive coverage that would be required if private motorists were to regard the fuel cell drive as a better alternative to conventional gasoline or diesel engines. “But that doesn’t mean that we’re not also interested in gauging the reaction of private customers,” Metzner explains. This is also the reason behind the decision not to hand over all of the 60 vehicles to an individual customer for the full one-to-two-year period. As Metzner explains, a small proportion of the cars will also be made available for temporary use by private customers with a view to collating information on what individual motorists expect from this type of vehicle. “From a marketing perspective, the private customer is the toughest nut of all. We need to know exactly what he or she needs and wants.”

Metzner, who spends a large amount of his working life taking a scientific look at future social trends, is confident that increasing numbers of people will recognize the massive potential of fuel cell technology. “If you’re talking about a new technology that only has one single advantage, then it’s going to have trouble making the breakthrough against an established technology. However, the fuel cell has a whole range of factors in its favor. It offers zero emissions at the local level, eases the climate problem by reducing CO2 production, provides the option of using fuels from renewable resources - and does so very efficiently - and generates opportunities for new types of use for vehicles.”

Additional benefits in the car

For example, DaimlerChrysler researchers working in Berlin and Palo Alto have discovered that the drivers of the future are likely to regard their vehicles as much more than just a means of transport from A to B. “The car will become an integral part of the living and working environment,” says Metzner. “As a result, drivers will expect the same kind of comfort and technical features as in the home. In turn, this will require the sort of power that a fuel cell vehicle is capable of generating even when stationary.”

Matthias Wolfsteiner is currently concentrating on the more concrete technical challenges that engineers at DaimlerChrysler will have to face in the coming years as they strive to enhance fuel cell drive technology. According to Wolfsteiner, the most important of these involve projects to further boost the performance of the fuel cell itself, achieve a greater range for the vehicles, improve cold-start capability, and achieve a service life on a par with the internal-combustion engine.

Primed with the experience from the F-Cell Project and the progress made in refining the system components in the laboratories of DaimlerChrysler and its partners, the next objective in 2007 will be to take a further step toward commercialization. “We’re already planning a follow-up project with a larger fleet than the one participating in the current trials,” says Wolfsteiner. “What’s more, we’ll be using vehicles that boast technical features that weren’t feasible in the F-Cell.”