DaimlerChrysler AG (Stuttgart, Germany) reported that its first hydrogen-powered car using fuel cell technology will be on sale from 2012. The firm has sent 60 Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars to Japan, Germany, Singapore and the United States for tests. The Mercedes car uses fuel cell technology where electricity is generated through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and air, emitting only water vapor.
Commercialization will start in 2012, but there are still technical obstacles to overcome such as extending fuel cells' reliability and durability; ensuring that they start at sub-freezing temperatures; reducing costs; and storing enough hydrogen in a small enough space to be workable. The car industry is also waiting for the roll-out of hydrogen filling stations. It's estimated that Europe would need 50 million tons of hydrogen per year to power cars.
