Driving the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell in the crowded, confusing, and twisting roads around Monte Carlo, Monaco, it’s immediately clear that hydrogen fuel cells are more than science projects. Next to the subcompacts and city cars, there’s plenty of thrust to keep up with and overtake traffic. On the highway, the hydrogen Benz ran up to 100 mph without a second thought. And from the cabin, the whole car is as natural and refined as any car on the road. To the driver, the F-Cell feels like a production-ready electric car that short circuits that issues of battery charging with a range of 285 miles and a refueling time of about three minutes as three tanks store a total of 3.7 kg of hydrogen at more than 10,000 psi.
Of course, hydrogen presents its own challenges, namely the chicken-and-egg question of which come first, hydrogen cars or hydrogen refueling stations? To motivate the refueling stations, Mercedes will launch a pilot program in spring 2010 that will place 200 F-Cell cars in the hands of customers in the U.S. and Europe. The roughly 60 cars for America will almost all be leased out to drivers in the Los Angeles area where eleven hydrogen stations already exist. A few may also make it to Washington, D.C.
The F-Cell uses a powertrain that combines two power sources, a small-capacity (1.4 kWh) battery and a hydrogen fuel cell that collaborate with a similar strategy to a conventional hybrid. From a stop, acceleration can be handled solely by the battery, while the fuel cell kicks in around 7 mph to do the majority of the work. Under hard acceleration, the electric motor can deliver 100 kW (136 hp) to the front wheels, with 80 kW coming from the fuel cell and the remaining 20 kW being provided by the battery.
The F-Cell exhibits the typical electric-drivetrain characteristics. Acceleration is best just as the vehicle leaves a stop and tapers off at speed. The absence of a transmission, however, means power response is almost instantaneous. As with a hybrid, the brakes combines hydraulic clampers with regenerative braking that spins the electric motor to act as a generator and charge the battery. There’s very little feel through the pedal, but the progression of stopping power is natural and intuitive, making modulation easy. The vehicle is also extremely quiet, with the only noises being the whine of the motor and the quiet wheeze of an air compressor. Otherwise, the F-Cell is exceptionally normal. From the interior, the only indication of the fuel cell underneath is a unique gauge cluster with a large dial indicating power. The navigation screen also shows multiple information displays including consumption and energy flow diagrams.
The test cars are all based on the European B-Class, a compact hatchback that most closely resembles a Honda Fit in shape. Chosen for its unique sandwich-floor architecture, the B-Class allows Mercedes engineers to mount the fuel cell and fuel tanks below the passenger compartment. The electric motor and an air compressor are packed under the hood, while the battery is mounted below the cargo floor.
Fuel cells have an inherent efficiency and the Mercedes unit is roughly twice as frugal as an internal combustion engine. From an energy standpoint, the F-Cell consumes hydrogen at a rate equal to the amount of energy used by a diesel car returning 81 mpg on a combined U.S. test cycle. Of course, at the tailpipe, the F-Cell only emits water, and to measure the car’s true environmental impact requires knowing how the hydrogen in your tank was separated into a pure element.
While the system is quite refined in driving, Mercedes still has a handful of improvements to build into the third-generation fuel-cell system they are currently working on for 2015. Chiefly, the company wants to triple the engineering lifespan of a fuel cell from four to twelve years. Engineers say that in a customer’s hands, the current technology would likely live well past four years, but a gradual degradation of the membranes in the fuel cell may make the 80 kW output more like 70 kW. Cost also needs to be tackled, with the goal of ultimately pricing the car equal to a C-Class.
By 2015, Mercedes intends to have a full production program to sell the fuel cell cars to customers outright. That car will be a part of the family that was previewed with the BlueZero concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show. In addition to the fuel cell vehicle, the production BlueZero family will include combustion-engine, range-extended-electric, and battery-electric vehicles based on the same sandwich architecture, but wearing unique sheet metal.
Horsepower: 520 @ 8000 rpm
Once the car was examined by a qualified mechanic and the family contractor came to look at the family’s garage, it was determined that Cheney’s son had caused about $14,000 worth of damage to the Porsche Turbo and the family’s home. Porsche’s insurance took care of the damages to the car, and Cheney’s home owner’s insurance took care of the damage to the family’s garage. Porsche did not allow Cheney to pay their insurance deductible, which he volunteered to do. A representative from Porsche even sent the family a picture of a Porsche that had been totalled in a test run, in order to make the family feel better about the incident.
The highlight of the movie is a 7-minute car chase, which packs quite a punch. The scene begins with a sense of reckless anticipation, as friends Ted and Benjy, played by Charlie Sheen and BD Sweeney, smoothly carjack a silver 911 Porsche from a basement car park of a shopping mall. As they make for the exit, a red Boxster catches Ted's eye. Five seconds later, he is in the process of ripping off the soft-top hood when his enemies spot him from across the car park. Ted ducks under the barrage of bullets fired and hops into the Porsche 911, where Benjy sits behind the wheel revving its powerful engine. And so begins the car chase scene that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats for the next 7 minutes. The first quarter of the chase happens in the cramped car park itself, with the men in the Porsche giving their chasers (driving a Lincoln MK IV and a Camaro) a torrid time.
Porsche has always been a name commonly associated with top of the line, high performance sports cars. With Porsche’s introduction of the Cayenne in recent years, they’ve managed to create a new market for the car enthusiast. The Cayenne gives a sports car fanatic the speed, performance and look of a sports car along with the additional seating and cargo that an SUV provides. It’s the ideal vehicle for the sports car bachelor-turned-family-man or the housewife that’s anti-minivan.
That’s certainly the case with the ultra-luxury hybrids out there: the BMW Activehybrid 7 will run you $19,250 more than a 750i, and a Lexus LS hybrid carries a $34,350 premium over an LS460L AWD. With the Mercedes-Benz S-class, however, the hybrid is actually the least expensive variant: an S400 Hybrid undercuts the S550 by $3650. 
And not only is the Morgan Eva GT beautiful, but it also as fast as she looks. In this matter, BMW had a thing or two to say, as the engine came from the German car manufacturer. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 3-litre engine sporting 306 hp with 295 lb/ft of torque together with a six speed auto gearbox (a manual one is also available). 
The withdrawal of the V10 507 hp engine was announced in the same time with the M5 model. The German manufacturer Wiesmann is searching for a new engine range for their models.
Many BMW fans are known for being adventurous when it comes to modding their own cars, from aesthetic upgrades to performance parts and upgraded interiors. In the guide below, Lacster of 5post gives us a short picture demonstration on how to install your own BMW black grille.The BMW Performance Aerodynamics Kit was released two years ago and includes a BMW kidney grille in black high-gloss look.
Featuring a 6-cylinder twin turbo engine which sports 335 hp and 450 Nm of torque (500 Nm with the use of the overboost) together with a a seven speed sport auto transmission, the BMW Z4 sDrive35is goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, just like the M3 Coupe. Even if the performance has been increased, thanks to the BMW EfficientDynamics (Electric Power Steering, Brake Energy Regeneration to name a couple) the fuel consumption and emissions have remained unchanged.