SACRAMENTO, Calif. – On the heels of a visit from President Bush to the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CAFCP) two weeks ago, DaimlerChrysler has completed the first portion of the $88 million Department of Energy Hydrogen Learning Demonstration Program by delivering on a 30 fuel cell vehicle commitment. The CAFCP becomes the 17th United States customer for a DaimlerChrysler fuel cell vehicle. Through daily operation, the employees of the CAFCP will log miles on the zero-emissions F-Cell, providing valuable data for future vehicle design. The dry climate of Sacramento in Northern California is one of three distinct environments that DaimlerChrysler will utilize to test fuel cell vehicle performance. The Mercedes F-Cell has a range of approximately 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. The electric motor develops 88 hp, enabling acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 16 seconds. The entire fuel cell system is housed in the floor of the vehicle, leaving full use of the passenger and cargo spaces. In addition to several research vehicles, the diverse DaimlerChrysler fuel cell vehicle fleet includes medium-duty fuel cell Dodge Sprinter vans and more than 35 Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell buses, which operate in Europe, the United States, Japan, Australia and Singapore. DaimlerChrysler has more than 25 fuel cell vehicles with customers in California, as well as an additional 100-plus around the world, and has spent more than $1 billion in fuel cell vehicle research and development. DaimlerChrysler pioneered fuel cell vehicle technology more than a decade ago. Fuel cells release energy from the reaction of hydrogen with a catalyst and oxygen. This clean technology operates at a high level of efficiency and is true zero-emissions. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles emit only pure water vapor as exhaust. Fuel cell vehicles are part of DaimlerChrysler's advanced propulsion technology umbrella, which includes efficient gasoline engines, advanced diesels, Flex-Fuel and hybrid powertrain systems.