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Daimler AG has achieved a
crucial breakthrough in battery
technology. The Stuttgart-based
automaker is the world’s first
manufacturer to have succeeded
in adapting lithium-ion
technology to the demanding
requirements of automotive
applications. Until now, the
technology has been used
primarily in consumer
electronics. The new battery
will be used in the
series-production S 400
BlueHYBRID beginning next year.
This important technology was
possible thanks to 25 patents
held by Daimler.
Dr
Thomas Weber, member of the
Daimler AG Board of Management
and responsible for Group
Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars
Development, says: “What we have
here is a groundbreaking key
technology that is going to be a
decisive factor for the future
success of the automotive
industry. That is a tribute to
our intensive research efforts,
which we have been conducting in
this area since 1992.”
The engineers’ success is above
all a result of the
Daimler-developed integration of
the lithium-ion battery into the
vehicle’s climate control
system. This ensures that the
battery always works at optimal
system temperatures of between
15 and 35°C, which in turn makes
it possible for the battery to
provide long service life and
maximum performance.
The main advantages offered by
the newly developed lithium-ion
battery are its very compact
dimensions and its far superior
performance compared to
conventional nickel-metal
hydride batteries. The
weight/power ratio of the entire
battery is 1,900 watts per litre
(W/L). What’s more, the battery
stands out by virtue of its high
ampere-hour efficiency, long
service life, and great
reliability, even at very low
temperatures. Its high level of
safety is the equal of that
provided by today’s auto
batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries are
ideally suited for use in hybrid
vehicles to help reduce fuel
consumption and thus also CO2
emissions. At the same time, the
Daimler engineers are
investigating to what degree
this technology can be applied
to other vehicle concepts, such
as electric and fuel
cell-powered cars.
S 400 BlueHYBRID — the
world’s most economical luxury
sedan
The S 400 BlueHYBRID consumes
only 7.9 litres of petrol per
100 km in the NEDC. This results
in very low CO2
emissions of only 190 g/km, a
very low value for this vehicle
class and power class, making
the S 400 BlueHYBRID the world’s
most economical luxury sedan —
unrivalled by any gasoline,
diesel, or hybrid drive system
offered by any competitor. And S
400 BlueHYBRID drivers will
still enjoy impressive
performance: combined with the
hybrid module, the maximum
output is 220 kW/299 hp, and the
corresponding maximum torque is
375 Nm. The S 400 BlueHYBRID
accelerates from zero to 62 mph
in 7.3 seconds on its way to an
electronically limited top speed
of 155 mph.
Even more potential is offered
by the combination of clean
BlueTec diesel technology with a
hybrid module, a duo that is
featured in the S 300 BlueTec
HYBRID, for example. |
