Hydrogen fuel cell technology is no longer in its infancy, having been around for more than a decade. It's a wonderful form of alternative energy that turns hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrons, giving you all the benefits of an electric car's immediate sense of propulsion, but the benefits of a combustion car's five-minute refueling. It seems like a no-brainer to a large degree, but at present, only the Hyundai Nexo and Honda Clarity are sold in the USA. However, Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will be stopping the development of fuel cell technology, and in the process, stopping production of the Europe-only hydrogen-powered Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class - dubbed the GLC F-Cell.

Fuel cell technology is something the German automaker has been working on for 30 years, aiming for a zero-emissions luxury vehicle that doesn't inconvenience buyers in the way a gasoline car does. But after three decades, the company has decided that the cost of FCVs (Fuel Cell Vehicles) is simply too much, with each model costing nearly double what it costs to bankroll a comparable BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle). The GLC F-Cell is the only victim, a vehicle that's been on the roads in Europe since 2013 when Mercedes collaborated with Nissan and Ford on fuel cell technology. But only a Mercedes product came to fruition out of the partnership, and as such, there wasn't the scale required to reduce production costs.

The GLC F-Cell wasn't publicly available, either, but was used as a business promotions vehicle. The final few GLC F-Cells are currently being produced and will be delivered to customers, but Mercedes has said there will be no follow-up. It doesn't mean the end of fuel cell technology from parent company, Daimler, however, as the firm just recently announced a partnership with Volvo to work on fuel cell-powered trucks, which are able to package the componentry better and achieve better yields in terms of efficiency and range.