GERMANY: Long-range EVs 20 years off - Mercedes
Author: just-auto.com editorial team | 21 September 2009
All-electric cars with the range of current petrol or diesel models are still 20 years away, according to Mercedes-Benz research and development head Thomas Weber.
Electric cars for city driving are just around the corner and technology exists to run a car for up to 120 miles (200km) without a re-charge. Getting to twice or three times that is still some way off, he added.
Weber, R&D board member at Mercedes parent Daimler, said, while Mercedes develops EVs, it will continue to improve conventional petrol and diesel engines and sees hybrid technology as the next development towards zero emission vehicles.
Weber said: "Hybrids offer great potential in terms of their flexibility. Pure electric vehicles are still constrained by range and there many issues still to address in terms of weight and cost. Hybrid technology has now been well-established by the Japanese makers and at last week's Frankfurt show we showed the full range of our own hybrid technologies.
"Before we see full electric cars or fuel cell vehicles we need to establish infrastructures. Topping up batteries is straightforward if we charge vehicles slowly overnight. But we need to look at charging stations and how we can top batteries up in much shorter timescales, and this requires investment to upgrade the grid. Similarly with hydrogen fuel cells we will need hydrogen filling stations."
Weber said that there are still many gains to be made in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 reduction with existing engines and transmissions. The company, he said, is developing smaller engines which could one day see turbocharged four-cylinder engines in the big, luxury S-Class models.
"Downsizing is not necessarily about smaller cars," he added. He also revealed that all Mercedes cars will have stop-start systems available. "The roll-out has already started."
Weber said Mercedes will also continue to focus on safety. "Our goal remains the accident-free vehicle. Every customer only has one life and we are looking continuously not only on crash performance, but on avoiding collisions in the first place."
headlineauto
Sectors: Technology/R&D, Vehicle manufacturers
View next/previous articles
21 Sep 2009 -
Currently reading -
GERMANY: Long-range EVs 20 years off - Mercedes
21 Sep 2009 -
21 Sep 2009 -
Related research
World Diesel Engines NEW Industry forecasts for 2012 & 2017
This study analyzes global supply and demand for diesel engines. Parts for diesel engines are included in the calculation of both demand and supply, but will be referred to solely as diesel engines....
Headliners, Soft Trim and Acoustics Report
The Headliners, Soft Trim and Acoustics report covers trends in two related areas of the car, namely: headliners and related trim parts which increasing play an acoustic function in the car and the wider issue of vehicle acoustics and NVH materials....
Hybrid Vehicles and Components Report
One of the primary driving forces behind the production of hybrid vehicles has been the tightening of global emission regulations. The need for fuel efficiency has moved from being a consumer based motivation to an environmental concern that requires...
Related articles
RESEARCH ANALYSIS: Review of roof systems
Since Mercedes-Benz offered the first car sunroof in 1932, Matthew Beecham finds that the ways in which automakers have sought to let the sun shine into the cabin have become increasingly complex.
UK: BMW aims high with new 5 saloon
BMW GB expects its new 5-series saloon, officially on sale here in the UK on Saturday (20 March), to at least maintain its lead and possibly grow its share in a hot-fought 'executive car' sector seen largely remaining static at about 115,000 units in 2010.
GOLDING’S TAKE: Time, money and Ron Dennis are the new ruling triumvirate at McLaren
The M&M relationship is now completely over. Mercedes has sold out of McLaren - a company that has disclosed that the road cars it intends to be selling from next year will compete with the German company.
There are currently no comments on this article
Be the first to comment on this article