Mercedes-Benz engineers and designers have been working in recent years to bring fuel-efficient models to the market while maintaining the brand’s level of quality. Visitors to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit from January 11-25, 2009 will be able to see the fruits of this research in person. The German automaker will debut the BlueZERO, a compact frame that will support three drivetrain types.
The base model is the BlueZERO E-Cell which can travel up to 124 miles per charge on a purely electric drive. Mercedes-Benz has also designed the BlueZERO F-Cell to expand the range to 249 miles without using a drop of gas. The automaker’s last entry will be the BlueZERO E-Cell Plus, a hybrid that can travel 373 miles with the help of a combustion engine and 62 miles on electric power only.
Mercedes-Benz plans on production of all three BlueZERO models by 2010 for distribution worldwide. In order to complete this timetable, company engineers will use a modular system to allow for easy upgrades and downgrades based on customer demand. Each BlueZERO features a liquid-cooled li-ion battery with 35 kWh of storage as well as an electric motor capable of 70kW of continuous output. Every BlueZERO will have front-wheel drive and be limited to a top speed of 93 miles per hour to conserve energy.
The company has stated that the E-Cell and E-Cell Plus can charge for a 31-mile journey within 60 minutes using a household outlet. Each BlueZERO will have an electronic control unit that can interface with charging stations for billing and energy consumption monitoring. These features mean that all three versions of the BlueZERO will be able to handle the demands of day-to-day charging as cities around the world develop an all-electric infrastructure.
While the BlueZERO will likely be priced in the luxury-vehicle range, the innovative use of modular parts by Mercedes-Benz shows another way to approach alternative fuel vehicles. Instead of matching a simple drivetrain to a single vehicle model, Mercedes-Benz is showing the need for dynamic electric vehicles on the global market. It seems likely that electric car enthusiasts will stick to smaller, less expensive models in the early going; however, the fact that two high-performance electric vehicles and a hybrid from a well-known automaker are on the horizon gives eco-friendly drivers hope for the future.
