The fuel cell plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL (combined hydrogen consumption: 0.34 kg/100 km, combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km, combined power consumption: 13.7 kWh/100 km)[1] has successfully passed its 360° environmental check. The results have been comprehensively verified by the TÜV Süd technical service. The environmental check is based on an eco-balance in which the environmental effects of the car are examined over the entire lifecycle.
Only an analysis of the vehicles’ entire lifecycle provides a realistic picture. Mercedes-Benz has been conducting this environmental check regularly since as early as 2005, starting with the S-Class at the time. Depending on the segment, Mercedes-Benz bases its calculations on a driving distance of 150,000 to 300,000 kilometres. Thanks to emission-free driving, electric vehicles can compensate for a large part of the additional CO2 emissions they initially cause. If it is possible to operate electric vehicles using only renewable energy, the CO2 emissions over the entire lifecycle fall by 70 percent compared with combustion-engine vehicles. The same applies to fuel cell vehicles, which give rise to more emissions in production but slightly fewer than batter vehicles in operation, and where the supply of hydrogen has a major influence on the overall effect.
However, the 360° environmental check is not only about CO2 emissions. In order to gauge a vehicle’s environmental compatibility, the experts consider all emissions and the use of resources over the entire lifecycle. This is achieved by means of an eco-balance that records the key environmental impacts. It includes the extraction of raw materials – the use of platinum in the fuel cell has been reduced by 90 percent compared to the B-Class F-CELL – production and use, and finally recycling. Development of the components in the new powertrain was accompanied by concepts for eventual recycling. This means that as with every other Mercedes-Benz, a high level of recyclability is also assured for the GLC F-CELL.
Different CO2 scenarios depending on the power and hydrogen source
As in all electric vehicles, how the necessary power is generated is also the decisive factor for the Mercedes-Benz GLC F‑C ELL: 100 percent renewable, e.g. hydroelectric power, or e.g. in the EU power mix[1]. The same question arises with respect to the generation of hydrogen: the scenarios considered in the eco-balance are reformation from natural gas, the so-called H2 mobility scenario (50 % regenerative, 50 % from natural gas), and 100 percent generation of hydrogen from electrolysis using hydroelectric power.
The eco-balance, and especially the CO2 balance, varies accordingly over an entire lifecycle with a mileage of 200,000 kilometres. While the components specific to the GLC F-CELL lead to considerably higher CO2 emissions during production, these can in part be considerably overcompensated over the use phase, depending on the hydrogen and power source. The CO2 saving over the entire lifecycle is greatest if the GLC F-CELL is operated exclusively with hydrogen and power from renewable sources. Savings of over 50% are possible compared to the scenario with hydrogen from natural gas and the EU power mix.
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SOURCE: Daimler
