German Car Zone

The Lowest CO2 Emissions in the Luxury Segment

Six years ago, I attended the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Long Beach, California, and at the conclusion of a riveting presentation by a major advanced-tech battery manufacturer, a questioner asked about the prospects of lithium-ion batteries for automobiles. The presenter was stony-faced for a few seconds. And then responded with a cocked head "What do you mean by lithium batteries in cars?" Nickel metal hydride was then considered the cutting-edge in battery tech for hybrids, and this question about lithium-ion -- provoked by its chief advocate, the late Dr. Paul MacCready, who was elsewhere in the hall -- seemed beyond the presenter's grasp. The questioner might as well have asked when worm-holes in the fabric of space and time were going to let cars blink from one place to another.

Well, I've just driven the world's first mass-production automobile that employs a lithium-ion battery (the lithium-ion-using Tesla Roadster being a low-production affair). No, it isn't a full electric vehicle as Dr. MacCready would have preferred. But there, tucked in the corner of the Mercedes-Benz S 400 Hybrid's engine bay, was a 32-cell, 120 volt, 0.9 amp-hour, lithium-ion battery about the size of shoebox.

For lithium-ion's first foray into mass-production, the finicky battery type (dogged by YouTube videos of burning laptops) is getting kid-glove treatment. The most important kindness given it is cooling, performed by the AC-system's refrigerant which is circulated by an electric motor (this, required to provide air conditioning while the engine is shut-down.) To give you an idea how pampered this battery is, when we asked how long it'll endure before replacement, Mercedes' engineers responded "It'll last as long as the car itself" That's become a common claim about nickel metal hydride batteries, but I suspect both Tesla's and Chevy's Volt engineers are blanching at that proclamation being applied to lithium.


Full Story: First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid


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The S400 HYBRID started successfully, wth 15% of S-Classes ordered since the sales launch. This is lower than the the diesel ratio, which I estimate is around 40% for the S-Class in Germany. 15% for the hybrid is quite respectable, and might be a bit higher than Daimler's forecast...

The press release below was translated via google, so might sound a bit off in some sentences...


S 400 HYBRID successfully launched

- 15 percent of the S-Class customers ordered the S 400 HYBRID

- First series hybrid with lithium-ion battery is CO2-Champion of the luxury class

Stuttgart - The new S 400 HYBRID launched with great success: about seven weeks after starting sales already 15 percent of all S-class customers order the luxury sedan with a hybrid drive. The S 400 HYBRID combines an advanced V6 petrol engine with a compact hybrid module. This makes the S 400 HYBRID the world's most efficient luxury sedan with a gasoline engine and thus the CO2 champion in its segment.

The first vehicles will be delivered starting 26 June to the customers.

Dr. Klaus Maier, Head of Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars: "We are very pleased that the S 400 HYBRID encountered such a positive response with our customers. We expect that the popularity will grow even further once the customers experience the automobile itself, as the S 400 HYBRID combines fascinating driving pleasure with environmental responsibility. "

With the development of a specific lithium-ion high voltage battery at the heart of the modular, very compact, lightweight and highly efficient hybrid drive in the S 400 HYBRID, Mercedes-Benz makes a contribution to the electrification of the automobile. The S-Class once again assumes the role of the technology trendsetter.

Mercedes-Benz presented the new generation S-Class in April at the Shanghai Auto Show. With dynamic design, more comfort and exemplary safety underpininings, the comprehensive updated edition of the successor to its claim as a measure of automotive progress. Of the current generation of the S-Class, since its market launch in autumn 2005, more than 270,000 models have been sold. The flagship of the Mercedes-Benz brand is the most successful luxury saloon in the world. The S-Class has been, since the beginning of the year, despite the upcoming model change, the market leader in its segment worldwide.

Particularly popular is the luxury sedan in China, now the world's largest market for the S-Class, followed by the USA and Germany.

Since 1951, a total of around 3.3 million vehicles of the flagship have been delivered to customers worldwide - that is the S-class benchmark in the luxury segment.

Contact: Verena Müller
Phone: +49 711 17-7754 3
Fax: +49 711 17-7754 7
E-mail: verena.mueller @ daimler.com

Truly amazing car!

Cool, though I wish that MB would just bring over the S350CDI or whatever it's called these days...

But this will do for now, woo hoo!