Mercedes-Benz GLC Plug-in Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Coming in 2017

Mercedes-Benz will start selling a plug-in fuel-cell version of its GLC compact crossover starting next year. The German automaker managed shrink the size of its fuel-cell stack by about 30 percent so that fits within "conventional engine compartments." More importantly for green gearheads, the stack uses 90 percent less platinum. Additionally, the car will include a nine kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Specs-wise, the Mercedes GLC F-Cell will have a combined range of about 500 kilometers (310 miles), including an all-electric range of about 30 miles and a hydrogen fuel tank that can be refilled in about three minutes. The model's fuel-cell stack was developed in Vancouver with a Ford joint venture, and Mercedes says that, between its B-Class F-CELL and the Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid urban, the company has collectively racked up more than 12 million kilometers (7.46 million miles) on fuel-cell power.

Word started surfacing late last year that the Daimler division was working on a hydrogen fuel-cell version of the GLC that was said to run about $76,000, or about 50 percent more than the conventional model. Mercedes-Benz hasn't yet officially put a price on the plug-in fuel cell model, but you can take a look at Mercedes-Benz's press release below.

In late 2010, Mercedes-Benz started leasing out its B-Class F-Cell conventional fuel-cell vehicle at a not-so-low rate of $849 a month, though Merc was throwing in free refueling and insurance. That front-wheel-drive model included a 100-kWh electric motor that was said to offer performance similar to a 2.0-liter gas-powered engine as well as a full-tank range of 249 miles. At the time, the company was estimated to have invested about $2.7 billion in fuel-cell technology during the previous 15 years.