Mercedes reportedly working on all-electric luxury car
Not too long ago, Mercedes announced that the Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid, pictured, would be the (likely) first production hybrid that uses lithium-ion batteries. The li-ion steak may be juicier that we expected, if this post over at Benz Insider is on target. BI is saying that a source within MB's Stuttgart Research Center has revealed that Daimler AG is developing a mid- or large-size electric-powered luxury vehicle. While a plug will certainly charge the battery packs, a "small dynamo like device" in the vehicle can also provide energy to - but not fully recharge - the battery. Sounds like a range extender to us, but with a rumored battery-only range of 105 miles, who will need it? We've put in a request to Daimler for more info, because, um, I think we're pretty interested in a car like this.
[Source: Benz Insider]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rgseidl 7:09PM (3/17/2008)
Somehow, I think an S Class E-REV might be a little outside the budget of the average ABG reader.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 7:53PM (3/17/2008)
besides budget problems, wouldn't it be technically and logically more useful to start with a small car (class A or smaller) for EV production?....
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kert 8:31PM (3/17/2008)
Another Tesla price class concept, except in luxury, not performance segment.
Other guys are working with citycar end of spectrum. Eventually, we will see convergence in family sedans as well.
High end EV is "easier" because you can hide high battery costs better. Low end is "easier" because you can have smaller battery, lower performance target and simpler car.
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Chris M 11:30PM (3/17/2008)
With all the interest in other proposed electrics - Tesla, GM Volt, MiEV, Aptera, etc. - I suspect almost all major automakers are planning some sort of "plug-in", and most are sceduled to arrive before 2012.
This will be interesting to watch. Will they try a plug-in version of the dual-mode hybrid? Or will they go for a simple Series hybrid plug-in? They may even copy GM and do both!
Tesla Motors proved that it is possible to get both great performance and great efficiency with electric drive. One advantage of a bigger "105 mile" battery over a smaller "40 mile" battery is along with more than twice the range it also can produce more than twice the power. Mercedes may be planning a luxury electric supercar!
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Charles 3:08PM (3/18/2008)
Speak for yourself rgseidl. Environmentally conscious doesn't have to be a synonym for poor.
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GenWaylaid 7:30PM (3/18/2008)
Actually, environmentally conscious seems to be mostly a synonym for rich.
Of course, I'm orders of magnitude below the target market for an electric Mercedes.
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