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DAIMLER ag
We at Daimler AG as the inventor of the
car and the truck assume responsibility
for their future. Our Road to Emission-free
Driving stands for our commitment to se-
curing sustainable mobility. Our aim is to
markedly reduce fuel consumption and
emissions already today and to eliminate
them entirely in the long term. To this
end, we are developing a broad spectrum
of state-of-the-art drive technologies that
meet the specific requirements placed
on today’s and tomorrow’s mobility in all
modes of road transportation.
The key to greater efficiency and envi-
ronmental compatibility lies in the elec-
trification of the drivetrain. This offers
great potential for improvement, which
is being realized for example in auxiliary
units, the automatic start / stop system,
and hybridization. For this stage of Daim-
ler’s “road map”, we have developed a
modular hybrid system that offers vari-
ous possibilities for extension in terms of
performance and range of vehicle appli-
cations. All hybrid drive variants can be
realized on this basis: from so-called mild
hybrids, with electric recuperation and
boost function, up to purely electric driv-
ing. The future of the modular hybrid sys-
tem is shown by the Mercedes-Benz Vi-
sion 500 Plug-in HYBRID. With a certified
consumption of only 3.2 liters of gasoline
per 100 kilometers and a purely electric
operating range of 30 kilometers due to
a battery which can be recharged, it of-
fers green technology in a fascinating
luxury-category vehicle.
The future has begun: Daimler vehicles
with battery and fuel cell have proven
their technical feasibility and are ready
for every day use: The smart fortwo elec-
tric drive, Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL,
Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, Mer-
cedes-Benz Vito E-CELL, Fuso Canter E-
CELL, and Mercedes-Benz Citaro Fuel-
CELL Hybrid are already in operation today
and offer electromobility in all areas.
But there are still a number of challeng-
es that will prevent electric automobiles
from being a familiar sight on the roads
in the near future. Boosting operating
range and performance, cutting systems
costs, and establishing an infrastructure
are the requirements that yet remain to
be fulfilled. Power electronics is a key to
master these challenges.
In R&D we investigate and optimize all
the key components for electromobil-
ity, including batteries, charging systems,
electric motors, drive inverters, and auxil-
iary devices together with the HV power
net architecture in the car.
