Mercedes F-Cell Full Vehicle Wraps by Iconography. “Iconography came recommended by another division of our company. We were very pleased with the results of their work which came out exactly as we envisioned.
Their attention to detail, willingness to accommodate us in every way, not to mention their extremely friendly, amenable and skilled staff made working with them a very pleasant and satisfying experience.” – Lora Renz, U.S. Fuel Cell Operations, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, Inc.
These full vehicle wraps for two F-cell vehicles were produced at Iconography Studios in Los Alamitos, and installed on-site by the Iconography Studios certified installation team at the Mercedes-Benz Research and Development facility in Long Beach, CA. Before the new full graphic wraps could be installed, the existing graphic decals needed to be removed from the vehicles.
What Is A Mercedes F-Cell?
A Mercedes F-Cell is a Mercedes-Benz vehicle that uses hydrogen fuel cell technology to generate electricity, which powers an electric motor. These vehicles are plug-in hybrids, meaning they have both a fuel cell system that runs on hydrogen and a battery that can be charged from an external power source, combining the benefits of zero-emission driving with a comparable range and refuelling speed to traditional gasoline cars. The only tailpipe emission is water vapor.
Fuel cell cars are good for their long range and quick refueling times, similar to gasoline cars, and have zero tailpipe emissions, producing only water. However, they are currently a poor choice for most consumers due to high purchase and fuel costs, a lack of widespread hydrogen refueling stations, and the challenges of producing and storing hydrogen efficiently. For this reason, they make excellent fleet vehicles.
What Are the Pros of Fuel Cell Cars?
- Zero tailpipe emissions: Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) only emit water vapor and warm air from the tailpipe, eliminating harmful pollutants in cities as well as in the countryside.
- Quick refueling time: FCEVs can be refueled in about 5 minutes at a hydrogen station, comparable to filling up a gasoline car. In contrast, charging a BEV can take significantly longer, especially on long trips.
- Long driving range: Many FCEVs offer a driving range of 300 to 400 miles on a single tank, which is often greater than the average BEV’s range.
- Consistent cold-weather performance: FCEV range is not significantly impacted by cold weather, unlike BEVs, which can experience major range drops in low temperatures.
- High efficiency: Fuel cell stacks are much more energy-efficient than internal combustion engines, converting 40% to 60% of the fuel’s energy into electricity, compared to about 25% for a typical gasoline engine.
- Similar driving experience to EVs: The FCEV electric motor provides quiet operation and instant torque, offering a smooth and responsive ride similar to a BEV.
If you plan to swap out graphics on your fleet vehicles during the life of the vehicle or term of your lease, we strongly recommend using only 3M’s IJ180 vehicle wrap products and matching laminates. This material wears the best in terms of longevity of the wrap, but also can be removed with as little risk to damaging existing paint as possible. In fact, 3M offers a factory warranty on the material that it will not harm an OEM paint job as long as it is removed within 5 years of installation. Now, if your vehicle has any aftermarket paint on it, we also advise our customers to expect some of the paint to come off with the wrap when it is removed.
Interested in new graphics for your vehicle fleet? Give the vehicle wrap experts at Iconography a call at 562-424-4353 today!
