Mercedes-Benz plans to drop drag below .20 Cd within 5 years
2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe - Click above for a hi-res gallery
In a previous post from our Greenlings series, we took a brief look at how and why aerodynamics play a significant role in a vehicle's overall efficiency. To put it plainly, the easier a car is to push through the wind, the better its fuel efficiency is likely to be. Mercedes-Benz has made great strides in overall vehicle aerodynamics with its E-Class Coupe, which boasts an impressive .24 coefficient of drag. According to that car's project manager, Rainer Tiefenbacher, the best is yet to come:
There is still plenty more to come as we explore ways of improving fuel efficiency. Designers are still learning about what works aerodynamically and are having to consider it more and more when they think about how a car will look. There are big steps to be made, especially around and under the engine hood.Just how low could they go? Very low indeed, it would seem – the German automaker believes it will be selling cars with a Cd of less than .20 in just 5 years.
Gallery: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kalle 1:59PM (4/30/2009)
Would be impressive...
I've been thinking about the sidemirrors, couldn't those be replaced by monitors on the inside of the car? The camera needs to be outside, but could be integrated into the parking sensors to provide a 360 view of the car.
Why hasn't anyone done this yet?
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jake 2:03PM (4/30/2009)
It's probably in illegal in a lot of states and counties not to have at least one side mirror.
kalle 2:18PM (4/30/2009)
Sure, but when alternatives to the traditional mirrors appear the rules would be changed. Given that they work reliably, but that's easy for the road worthiness tests and police officers to confirm.
One could also argue that a regular mirror would be more reliable, but I'd say an electronic would be at least as reliable since they're less prone to be damaged by other cars.
jake 2:00PM (4/30/2009)
Below .20 is hitting EV1 territory. It'll be pretty incredible if they can do it and make it still look like a conventional car.
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Tohe 6:05PM (4/30/2009)
Some sort of invisible plasma would make sense. Something like this would help them retain their signature look and yet drastically improve drag performance.