DaimerChrysler is presenting the next generation of its fuel cell vehicles at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show this week.

The new fuel cell, built on the Mercedes Benz B-Class, will be suitable for use in sports vehicles, in a further extension of the fuel cell's marketability.

The company claims that the capacity of the car, whose high-torque electric motor will develop more than 100 kW, 35 kW more power than the previous model, shows that low emissions are compatible with high performance.

The operating range has also been increased to almost 250 miles as a result of a reduction in fuel consumption and a further enhanced storage capacity.

"With this car, we are continuing our highly successful practical tests on an even larger scale," said Dr. Thomas Weber, member of DaimlerChrysler's board of management.

DaimlerChrysler presented its first fuel cell vehicle, the NECAR 1, in 1994. Since then more than 20 other research vehicles and prototypes have since followed.

Since 2003, 30 Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses with fuel cell drive have been on the move in regular route service in ten major European cities, with a further six worldwide.

The city buses alone have already covered more than 300,000 miles (500,000 km) and transported more than two million passengers.

DaimlerChrysler is currently working together with Ford and the fuel cell specialist Ballard Power Systems on the further development of fuel cell technology.