Search News New A-Class runs on air Mercedes has produced a drivable, road legal new A-Class that runs on a fuel cell and produces only water from its exhaust system. According to the German firm the new Mercedes A-Class is powered by a hydrogen and oxygen reaction that happens in its "proton exchange membrane" (PEM). Sounds nice and simple doesn't it. In fact the car houses two large hydrogen tanks, an air compressor, an electric motor and a very big battery. And that's all there just to feed the complex fuel cell itself. According to 4Car the fuel cell contains a stack of catalyst coated PEMs that are sandwiched between graphite paper. New Mercedes A-Class Car Deals Request A New Car Price While the system is utterly eco-friendly don't expect rip-snorting performance from the new A-Class. The fuel cell's 87bhp means 60mph is reached in a slovenly 15 seconds and the top speed is 87mph. For city driving however the new A-Class may be the perfect thing, reaching 30mph in around five seconds and retaining the nippy qualities of the petrol version. According to Mercedes there are currently about 60 in day-to-day use around the world. However, with costs still prohibitively high this is no cheap new Mercedes. 14th October 2005