Mercedes Will Have A Plug-In Fuel Cell SUV In 2017

When it comes to powertrains of the future, Mercedes cannot be accused of putting all its eggs in one basket. It says 48 volt mild hybrid systems will proliferate across its enter model line up in coming years. It is rushing to get plug-in hybrid cars on the market as soon as possible and says it will have a long range electric SUV on offer by 2019.

Now comes word that Mercedes will bring a new kind of car to market next year — a plug-in fuel cell SUV that can be powered by a battery or a hydrogen fuel cell. Based on the GLC model, it will have a range of about 300 miles before it needs to be recharged and/or refueled. Range on battery power alone is said to be 30 miles. The car is part of the $10.67 billion investment green technology Mercedes plans to make through the end of 2017.

“Daimler sees several different drive technologies co-existing in the future,” says Thomas Weber, head of development for Mercedes. “We have a broad portfolio of vehicles from compact cars to heavy trucks that require us to think holistically.”

The company first offered a fuel cell vehicle in 2010, when it started selling a small number of B-Class fuel cell compact cars. The technology is attractive because hydrogen tanks can be filled in about the same time as it take to pump a tankful of gasoline or diesel fuel. Still, a lack of hydrogen refueling stations is preventing many customers from actively considering a fuel cell car.

The pressure to invest in a range of new technologies despite low sales of hybrid and electric cars suggest more collaboration between car makers in the future in an attempt to reduce development costs of new technology. Christian Mohrdieck, who is the head of fuel cell development for Mercedes, says, “We’ll probably see more cooperation. There’s the advantage to save costs and also bundle volumes.”

300,000 Kilometers In A Mercedes Fuel Cell Vehicle

Toyota, Honda and Hyundai are not the only car makers working on fuel cell vehicles. Mercedes-Benz has a fleet of 300 B Class-based fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) that have traveled 5.6 million miles since 2010. Recently, one of those cars drove more than 186,000 miles in normal driving conditions, proving that FCEVs offer long term reliability in the real world.

That accomplishment earned Mercedes a Fuel Cell Innovation Award from a jury composed of economists, scientists and political leaders who said “The test is a step in the direction of series-ready application of the fuel cell drive train.” Mercedes is working closely with Ford and Nissan to develop a common fuel cell drivetrain that will be available in showrooms by 2017.

But before that can happen, the hydrogen infrastructure to refuel FCEVs will need to make enormous strides forward. Nobody is going to buy an FCEV if it can’t be refueled conveniently. Recently, the process was given a boost after standards for hydrogen refueling equipment were established.

Mercedes is aware of the challenge and is aggressively pursuing the build-out of hydrogen transportation and refueling systems. Says Prof. Herbert Kohler, chief environmental officer of Daimler AG.“We have clearly demonstrated that the fuel cell electric drive is ready for the road. The last hurdles we will overcome in intensive cross-industry and cross-border teamwork.”

So, is the hydrogen economy ready for prime time? Right now, most  hydrogen is derived from natural gas. Thanks to the rise in fracking here in America and around the world, natural gas is readily available. But if the purpose of FCEVs is to help the environment and if FCEVs rely on fracking for fuel, is the hydrogen economy a step forward or a step back for our beleaguered global eco-system?

Mercedes B-Class Electric Fails To Impress Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports rarely minces words when it comes to its car reviews, and it calls the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive hatchback the least-efficient electric car on the market. Ouch.

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive hatchback has a sticker price of around $41,350 and while the hatchback does offer abundant cargo space and a clear view of the road, it isn’t enough to earn high marks from Consumer Reports.

The electric B-Class has an 80 mile range, but also offers what Mercedes is calling an extended Range Plus mode which will push the Merc an additional 20 miles, offering a maximum of 100 miles of driving range. The extended Range Plus mode is done by selecting the option prior to charging the vehicle, which increases the charge from the cars normal 28 kWh to the full 36 kWh. Of course overclocking the battery will have a negative impact on the batteries lifespan. Unfortunately, the B-Class Electric also doesn’t offer a DC fast charge option like its main competitor, the BMW i3, so it takes a full 3.5 hours to charge compared to the Bimmer, which can top off in about 30 minutes.

While the Range Plus mode is interesting, it did not help once Consumer Reports took the B-Class for a spin. The results were the B-Class running at 2.9 miles per kWh, or the equivalent of about 98 mpg. While 98 mpg would be great for a gasoline powered car, it is a very poor score for an electric vehicle, and it’s even worse than the 3.2 kWh of the much older Nissan LEAF, which has been on the market for four years now.

Consumer Reports found other problems too. Even with a drive system coming from Tesla, the independent magazine said the car felt dated with a noisy cabin, stiff suspension, and dull handling despite a healthy 177 horsepower engine. Additionally, one of the largest issues aside from the Range Plus mode that Consumer Reports had with the B-Class was with the regenerative brake system. The B-Class offers two regenerative brake modes, one called Drive Minus which boosts regenerative braking but is tricky to use effectively. The other mode is Drive Plus mode, which allows you to coast, but brings down the range extending benefits of regenerative brakes.

Consumer Reports is not alone in their negative view of the B-Class as Car and Driver had some choice words as well. In any event, the B-Class Electric Drive is available in California only for now, but will be more widlely available across the U.S. in 2015.

Source: consumerreports.org

Daimler Seeks Greater Cooperation With Tesla

While critics were skeptical of Daimler’s purchase of Tesla stock several years ago, the investment is paying off big time. But while Daimler and Tesla are already working together on an all-electric Mercedes B-Class, the German auto conglomerate wants to work even closer with the California-based electric car maker, hoping to compete with the popular BMW i3.

Tesla is building the 36 kWh battery for the Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive, which the company estimates will provide between 115 and 125 miles of driving range per charge, as well as batteries for the shorter-range Smart ForTwo Electric Drive. That’s about 40 to 50 miles more than competitors like the Nissan Leaf or Fiat 500e, though Mercedes chief rival is the BMW i3, with its 100 mile all-electric range and 200-mile extended driving range.

The BMW i3 already has months and months of backorders in Germany, and other markets are also eager to get behind the wheel. Mercedes, which wants to rival BMW in terms of profitability, is waking up to the realization that electric and hybrid vehicles are going to play a huge role in many high-end markets like the U.S., where Tesla is currently raking in the sales. Yet for some reason Daimler went with its own battery pack for its SLS AMG Electric Drive supercar, which has just 155 miles of range despite a massive battery pack and price tag, rather than a Tesla pack. Maybe that experience is why they’re so keen to work with Tesla.

But how does Tesla feel about helping a major rival develop a competitive vehicle? Elon Musk has been uncharacteristically quiet on the matter, though with a Daimler member sitting on the board of directors, the company might not have much choice in the matter. But it isn’t like Tesla won’t make boku bucks off of such a deal. It makes one wonder though if Daimler might not be another potential buyer for Tesla Motors when the time comes.

For my money though, I’d rather just go with the Model S than a Mercedes knock-off.

 Source: Reuters

Daimler testing B-Class E-Cell plug-in hybrid with inductive charging

PRESS RELEASE

The idea sounds as easy as convincing: Instead of „filling up" an electric vehicle by cable the driver parks conveniently above the power source when using contactless inductive charging of the battery. The charging process starts automatically as soon as the car is parked over a charging point. Additional advantages come to the fore especially in public areas: The inductive charging points can be integrated into the ground safe from vandalism.

Currently widespread inductive charging is still a long way off. Yet to test feasibility of such a system Daimler and Conductix-Wampfler have elaborated the basics for wireless charging of electric vehicles in a research project cofunded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, BMU). Main target of the project "wireless charging" was a safe, automotive grade charging system with maximum efficiency and minimum weight and package.

More Comfort and High Efficiency
Goal of the field test was to evaluate everyday-usability of wireless charging as well as to probe advantages and disadvantages in comparison with charging by plug and cable. As early as a few days into the field test the advantages customer comfort and charging safety by the automated charging process became apparent.

The testing focused on the basic charging process. Efficiency of the system admittedly still doesn´t match charging by cable, but is with 90 percent already very promising and only slightly beneath cable based solutions, if all components from socket to battery are taken into account.

There was an evaluation of the first "driving-experiences" with study participants who had to "drive onto the optimum charging position". After two or three exercise runs this could be well achieved supported by parking assistance functions. The system tolerates smaller deviations within the range of a few centimeters without noteworthy loss of charging efficiency or transferable power. Also, the system showed already good results regarding electro magnetic compatibility. It is the task of future engineering work to optimize this as well as to improve efficiency and to develop solutions for a series application.

Technology and Vehicle
The protototypes built within the project on the basis of the B-Class E-CELL with range extender are equipped with an electronic rectifier and a collector coil integrated into the underbody cover. Main components on the infrastructure side are the supplying electronic and the charging coil, which was realized in two variants – as an above ground and beneath ground coil.

Besides the wireless energy transfer other functional aspects are the wireless communication between infrastructure and car, the driver assistance function "driving onto the position above the charging coil", the automatic start of the charging process and the vehicle identification. In the area between the coils an object detection avoids risks by warmed metal items.

Detailed scientific studies generated the foundation for the first layout of the inductive transfer components with automotive specific requirements and their optimization regarding package and weight. Comprehensive system simulations served to validate the designs.

Conductix-Wampfler has developed all components of the system and could rely during the process on comprehensive experience with inductice power transfer in manufacturing automation as well as on know-how from the wireless charging of electric busses in Genoa and Turin. These are in operation since 2003.

Daimler has defined the functions of the charging system on the car´s side and realized the assistance system for driver support. The system was integrated into two vehicles with range extender, nameplate Mercedes-Benz B-Class E-CELL Plus. The coil integration within the underbody cover of the cars was designed and supplied by Röchling Automotive.

After the prototype vehicles had been built the complete system was mechanically and electrically integrated and taken into operation as a whole. Two inductive charging stations are in the field at the Daimler-Engineering-Location Böblingen-Hulb and are intensively used for the everyday-tests.

Résumé and Outlook
First conclusions confirm the considerable gain of comfort in comparison with cable based charging and that inductive charging is suitable in principle. The potential optimization regarding package, weight and integration in future vehicle model lines is identified and will accordingly be further developed.

At the same time an evaluation is done on new common projects with potential inductive charging applications in small commercial vehicles and busses. The results of the current tests are important to national and international standardization activities – with the aim to guarantee interoperability of inductive charging systems of different suppliers and vehicle manufacturers.

Short Profile Conductix-Wampfler
Conductix-Wampfler is the world's leading supplier of mobile energy supply and data transmission systems. With own companies and several partners Conductix-Wampfler is present in nearly all relevant countries. With about 1.000 employees across the globe, the group generated sales of over € 177 million in fiscal 2010.