Even before being designated full-blown Mercedes-Benz trained professionals, students at the automaker's Sindelfingen plant have used their skills to develop an alternative powered vehicle called the F-Cell Roadster.
A team of 150 trainees from mechatronics, model-building, electronics, coating technology, manufacturing mechanics, product design, and interior appointments conceptualized, developed, and constructed the hydrogen fuel-cell powered show car. Their objective was to integrate alternative drive systems into their larger Mercedes-Benz training program.If you didn't already surmise, inspiration for the roadster comes from the 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car. As such, it sports mammoth spoke wheels and a slight build, but incorporates contemporary materials and technologies like carbon fiber bucket seats, a fiberglass front end, drive-by-wire controls, and of course, a hydrogen-powered drivetrain. The young crew claims the F-Cell Roadster has a 217-mile range and can hit a top speed of 15 mph.
