German Car Zone

Mercedes-Benz will use its BlueZero concept to showcase the final weapon in its three-pronged attack on fuel consumption. While it has already shown its fully electric and its fuel-cell versions of the BlueZero, it has completed the concept line-up with a range-extending battery-electric powertrain, which will be launched before 2015, according to Daimler sources.

Built around the patented sandwich-floor chassis of the existing B-Class, the BlueZero sees Mercedes mate up a 1.0-liter, 68-horsepower three-cylinder petrol engine directly to a generator, which then drives the car’s electric motor. Known as a series hybrid, it is a step more advanced than the parallel hybrids offered by Lexus and Honda, which drive the wheels through either the electric or the gasoline motors.
Dubbed the E-cell Plus, the Mercedes-Benz BlueZero hybrid might only have a nominal 95 horsepower, but there’s an astonishing, big-diesel-esque 236 lb-ft. of torque and, as it is coming from an electric motor, the maximum torque is available instantly, at any time.
Mercedes-Benz sits the petrol engine inside the sandwich floor at the back of the car, the 18kW/hour Lithium-ion battery pack sits inside the middle of the floor and the electric motor sits in the engine bay, driving the front wheels.
As yet, there are no official fuel consumption numbers, because the petrol engine only ever charges the battery pack and never directly drives the wheels, but Benz suggests it will emit around 32 grams of CO2 per kilometer.
Even so, it will still cover the zero to 62 mph sprint in less than 11 seconds and will hit 93 mph as a top speed. On the flip side of the performance coin, Benz claims the five-door hatchback will stretch to 62 miles on a single battery charge, while the advanced battery pack can be fully recharged in under half an hour. Coupled with its petrol engine, the BlueZero E-cell Plus has a range of almost 360 miles.
The cementing of the car’s future means Benz will also retain the expensive sandwich floor architecture, while the next generation A- and B-Class cars can move to cheaper single-floor designs when they go on sale in 2011.

http://www.leftlanenews/mercedes-ben...cell-plus.html

It's the new B-Class!

Wow...so just the SLS, E-wagon and this at frankfurt?

Hmmm...this will be MB's quiet year I see. Guess they are going to let this be BMWs year.

Good info though!

Well the SLS is big enough news, but still, I was hoping for a suprise showcar and not a recycled one.

Yeah i think the SLS alone will be the frankfurt motor show..

As for this car above i dont really like it looks wierd in some ways...

No. The electric/fuel-cell versions will feature the old B-Class platform with sandwich-concept for the floor.

The regular A and B-Class will have a standard floor, thus a much lower CoG, and will not be based on the current car like the green ones will be.

This car only shows how the Blue Zero and co will look like, while the petrol engined A and B will have a different look.

Flame surfacing? Did Bangle join MB?

Not just this.... remember MB will also show an SLS electric drive concept, the E63 AMG wagon, C-Class revisions and maybe the R-Class facelift. We could also see the S-Class coupe.

Any other day of the week, I'd say be surprised by this car but the design is a letdown and the tech is somewhat similar to the Volt, besides the sandwich-floor or what have you. Don't want to start a war or anything but talking just tech-wise etc., BMW has really stolen the show with the Vision concept.

Press Release

Mercedes-Benz BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS: Piggy-backed for more range
Battery-powered electric drive plus range extender
The near-series Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS electric car combines environment-friendly electric mobility in the city with unrestricted suitability for long-distance driving. This is made possible by the combination of the battery-electric drive with a combustion engine. The range extender gives the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS a total range of up to 600 kilometres, with 100 kilometres thereof solely under electric power and thus free of local emissions.

The BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS is part of a family of modularly constructed electric cars, which will enable Mercedes-Benz to meet all customer requirements for sustainable mobility in the future. In this variant of the concept vehicle, the electric motor of the purely battery-powered BlueZERO E-CELL is combined with an additional three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine. Putting out 50 kW, the compact combustion engine is installed in the area of the rear axle and can charge the battery while the car is being driven. The CO2 bonus for the battery-electric driving mode reduces the vehicle’s emissions to only 32 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The range extender enables the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS to drive for up to 600 km, of which up to 100 km can be driven in electric mode with zero local emissions. The long combined range makes the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS fully suitable for everyday use and assures that the customer will reach his or her destination even with a depleted battery. After all, the car can be refuelled quickly and easily at any normal filling station.

Battery with superior lithium-ion technology

During rapid charging with a charging capacity of 20 kW, the high-performance, 18 kWh lithium-ion battery of the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS can store enough power within around 30 minutes for a 50 kilometre cruising range. The complete electric range of 100 kilometres requires a charging time of somewhat more than an hour. Charging time with a standard charge cycle at a conventional household outlet with 3,3 kW is approximately 6 hours. Special on-board electronics support the intelligent charging stations and billing systems used by electric fuelling stations. Advantages of lithium-ion batteries compared to other battery technologies include their compact dimensions, high output and energy density, high charge efficiency and long service life.

Concept BlueZERO - the triad of electric mobility



Mercedes-Benz is showing the way to environmentally compatible electric mobility with the near-series Concept BlueZERO. The vehicle’s intelligent modular concept enables a single vehicle architecture to be used to create three models with different drive system configurations.

• The BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS is equipped with an electric drive and a supplemental combustion engine with an electrical generator (range extender). The car has a total range of up to 600 kilometres, of which up to 100 kilometres can be covered solely on electricity.
• Originally presented in Detroit at the beginning of the year, the BlueZERO E?CELL is propelled exclusively by a battery-powered electric drive that allows the car to travel up to 200 kilometres on a single battery charge and completely free of local emissions.
• The third drive version is the fuel cell powered BlueZERO F-CELL, with a range of about 400 km on electric power and therefore also without any local emissions.

All three BlueZERO models feature front-wheel drive, which is typical for this class of car. The drive components have been modularly organised by the Mercedes engineers and can be combined as needed. These include state-of-the-art liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries with up to 35 kWh capacity, and a compact electric motor with a maximum output of 100 kW (sustained output: 70 kW). The maximum torque of 320 Nm is available from the electric motor’s first revolution, and it surpasses the value attained by today’s V6 petrol engines at 2,500 rpm. Like its two sister models, the BlueZERO E-CELL and the BlueZERO F-CELL, the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than eleven seconds. To ensure optimum range and energy efficiency, the top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h.

"The Concept BlueZERO offers a triple demonstration of the technical maturity of alternative drive systems from Mercedes-Benz. Electric vehicles with battery electric or fuel cell drive systems will not truly be on an equal footing with today's combustion engine drive systems until the customers are confident that there is a sufficient infrastructure of electricity and hydrogen refuelling stations,” says Prof. Herbert Kohler, Head of E-Drive and Future Mobility and also Chief Environmental Officer at Daimler.

Concept BlueZERO: Modular architecture for flexibility and efficiency

The three BlueZERO variants were developed on the basis of the unique sandwich-floor architecture known from the A-Class and B-Class. The advantage of the enhanced design is that the key drive components are installed in the vehicle’s underbody in such a way that they take up little space, ensure a good centre of gravity, and are maximally protected. The BlueZERO models therefore differ considerably from conventionally designed electric cars, which have heavy and voluminous storage batteries installed in the boot, for example, or in the area of the backseat. All three BlueZERO variants share key technological components and have identical designs and vehicle dimensions. Even though they have compact exterior dimensions, the 4.22-meter-long BlueZERO models have a spacious and versatile interior and cargo space. The vehicles’ five full-size seats, approximately 450 kilograms of payload, and more than 500 litres of cargo capacity make them suitable family cars.



“Our modular system permits different drive configurations for each customer requirement,” says Dr. Thomas Weber, the Daimler Board of Management Member responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “The improved sandwich floor platform serves as the perfect basis for a diverse range of vehicles with electric drives. We are currently developing an additional platform for future compact models that have drive systems using optimized internal combustion engines. The smart linking of both architectures will allow us to expand our product range in an extremely flexible and efficient manner. Beginning in 2009, we will manufacture the first small batch of Mercedes fuel cell cars. In 2010, they will be followed by a small batch of Mercedes-Benz vehicles that run solely on electric power supplied by a battery. Thanks to these measures, we are excellently positioned for the future.”
Electric powered vehicles are fun to drive

Mercedes-Benz vehicles will continue to combine environmental awareness and driving fun in future. One way in which the Mercedes-Benz designers have emphasised this aspiration is by introducing paint finishes in three new ALU-BEAM colours. Each of the three variants makes its individual mark: Confident ALU-BEAM Copper was chosen for the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS. The BlueZERO E-CELL is painted a fresh ALU-BEAM yellow; the BlueZERO F-CELL appears in ALU-BEAM green.

Mercedes-Benz feels it won’t be just one technology that paves the way to sustainable mobility in the future, however. Instead the company is responding with solutions that are every bit as varied as the demands. The individual technologies are being used in specific applications where they can provide the greatest advantage with respect to optimal consumption and emission values. Mercedes-Benz views the development of electric cars with battery and fuel cell drives for local zero-emission driving as a means of supplementing the extremely clean and economical BlueEFFICIENCY and hybrid vehicles already available today. However, the unrestricted and convenient operation of electric cars still faces a series of challenges, including high system costs, insufficient infrastructure and short cruising ranges. Advanced diesel and petrol engines will remain the driving force for automobiles for a long time to come - not only for individual mobility in passenger cars (especially over long distances), but, more importantly, for freight transport in trucks. Despite all the progress that Mercedes-Benz has once again so emphatically documented with the Concept BlueZERO, electric cars will not be replacing vehicles with combustion engines any time soon. The electrification of modern, high-tech engines will, however, play an increasingly important role in the drive system mix of the future.



Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS

• Electric powered concept car with a battery-electric range of up to 100 kilometres
• A combustion engine that serves as an electrical generator (range extender) extends the range to up to 600 kilometres (total)
• The concept vehicle can be recharged simply and conveniently at a common household outlet
• With a charging capacity of 20 kW, the Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS can be recharged within around half an hour for a 50 kilometre range
• The liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries used as an energy source have an energy content of up to 17.50 kWh
• Front-wheel drive

Electric drive

CO2 emissions:
0 g/km
Range:
up to 100/600 km
Battery:
Lithium-ion
Rated output:
100 kW/136 hp
Max. torque:
320 Nm
Top speed:
150 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h:
> 11.0 seconds

Range extender

Cylinders
3
Displacement
1.0l turbo
Output
50 kW at 3500 rpm

Via: worldcarfans