Mercedes Plans to Lease Fuel-Cell Cars in 2010

Venturing away from the electric car arena, Mercedes-Benz plans to begin leasing compact luxury cars that operate off of hydrogen in 2010, according to U.S. News Rankings and Reviews.

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell will be built on the company's B-Class compact car platform. The car, which draws its power from a hydrogen fuel cell, will feature a 136-horsepower electric motor that produces 213 pound-feet of torque.

According to the news source, the F-Cell has a range of around 250 miles. Additionally, the automaker says there is a hydrogen recharge time of only three minutes.

At this time, full details of the leases are not available; however, it should be noted that some California residents who are currently leasing Honda's hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity sedans are paying $600 per month. Further, those customers have no right to purchase the vehicles at the end of their three-year lease. Some autoblogs expect the same from leasing the F-Cell.

While there is currently a lack of refueling infrastructure, which Car and Driver notes could potentially cost billions, hydrogen-powered cars have a better range and a quicker to refuel than electric vehicles. Hydrogen-powered vehicles emit only water vapor.