Daimler touting breakthrough in battery technology, increases R&D spending
Click on the image to view high-res shots of the Mercedes F700 concept
As part of an annual meeting held in Berlin, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says that the company will increase its R&D spending to $21 billion for the year 2010. A major part of those expenses will go towards alternative powerplants. Hydrogen and lithium ion batteries will make up a good chunk of these charges, and Zetsche claims that Daimler has made "a major breakthrough in battery technology." Regarding the heat generated by lithium ion batteries, Zetsche adds, "Daimler has solved the problem. Thanks to the integration of the vehicle's cooling system, the batteries can now operate continually at optimal system temperatures. This maximizes their power output; extends their service life, and make it possible to use this high-performance technology in automotive applications. We've protected this innovation with 25 patents."
Mercedes-Benz will continue to offer large, powerful and luxurious vehicles in each of the market segments in which it competes. What's more, Dr. Z adds, the company "aims to offer at least one model in each of the Mercedes-Benz core model series that is a leader in fuel consumption." We're reminded of the F700 concept that the company recently introduced. We would add that DiesOtto, or HCCI engines, could make a dent in Mercedes' overall fuel consumption statistics.
[Source: The Car Connection]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
A.Brien 9:35PM (4/18/2008)
Mercedes seem positive abouth their battery know-how and it reassure the futur consumer contrary to gm that say from the beginning that their battery technology ev1 then the volt are not worth S7it. Gm is a financial institution and mercedes is a car manufacturer. The magic is in the attitude.
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BlackbirdHighway 10:06PM (4/18/2008)
"Thanks to the integration of the vehicle's cooling system, the batteries can now operate continually at optimal system temperatures"
I thought that was exactly what Tesla was already doing. I smell another lawsuit!
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CM 11:26PM (4/19/2008)
Ah, Blackbird, you beat me to it! If Daimler is trying to claim patent protection for the general notion of cooling the batteries using the AC, well, that has already been done by others, and the patent might be ruled invalid. The best they can hope for is maybe a patent on a specific design for such a cooling system.
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Lad 1:41AM (4/19/2008)
It would appear the motivation in all this is the need to meet the U.S. mpg requirements. Where might we be had the Republicans not given in to pressure by the AAM and implemented higher mpg requirements when they controlled the Congress? I believe electric drive cars would have been more prevalent by now.
With the demand for fossil fuels and the supply available, only electric cars make any sense if we continue our present life style of daily driving. MB has been very slow to bring battery cars to market, just like all the other members of the AAM, including BMW and Toyota. One might suspect some sort of agreement between the member...huh!
I believe the first mass production of battery automobiles will come from non-AAM members, probably from the Renault/Nissan collaboration on the "Better Place" project.
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jake 4:58AM (4/19/2008)
"Thanks to the integration of the vehicle's cooling system, the batteries can now operate continually at optimal system temperatures."
Yeah, I'm pretty sure this isn't a new idea at all, except maybe in the details of the integration. Besides, for hydrogen & li-ion, temp control isn't that big of a problem because in one way or another that had been solved a long time ago, energy density is the biggest hurdle that has yet to be solved.
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jpm100 9:59AM (4/19/2008)
"Mercedes seem positive abouth their battery know-how and it reassure the futur consumer contrary to gm that say from the beginning that their battery technology ev1 then the volt are not worth S7it. Gm is a financial institution and mercedes is a car manufacturer. The magic is in the attitude. "
You do realize what a typical Mercedes costs? And how much of a premium Mercedes can probably charge for a hybrid version of their cars?
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Kevin Nugent 9:48PM (4/19/2008)
well despite this already BEING USED IN THE MASS MARKET . i am glad to see mercdes beze is starting to get on the green train
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Rita 3:22AM (8/24/2008)
Looking at the R&D in battery technology, I can think of an article that talked about using microbes in battery. A cost effective and greener way of manufacuting batteries. Anyone interested check this out:-
http://www.kanbal.com/index.php?/Electronics/micro-organism-aid-in-battery-technology.html
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