Sep 16, 2009, 7:36 GMT
Frankfurt - Mercedes is showcasing at the Frankfurt Motor Show a near-series BlueZERO E-Cell Plus vehicle combining battery power with a combustion engine, extending the range to up to 600 kilometres with a carbon dioxide emission figure of only 32 grammes per kilometre.
The 18 kWh lithium-ion battery pack requires a charging time of one hour for an electric range of 100 kilometres. Mercedes lists the charging time on a normal household electric socket at about six hours.
A modular concept enables a single vehicle architecture to be used to create three models with different drive system configurations. Apart from the latest BlueZERO E-Cell Plus shown in Frankfurt, Mercedes first presented in Detroit the BlueZERO E-cell running only on battery power with a range of 200 kilometres. A third drive version is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell with a range of about 400 kilometres.
Like its sister models the BlueZERO E-Cell Plus accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in eleven seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h to ensure optimum range.
All three models are developed on the basis of sandwich-floor architecture with key drive components installed in the car underbody to ensure maximum centre of gravity. Seating five people it has a payload of 450 kilograms and more than 500 litres of cargo capacity.
Mercedes board member Dr Thomas Weber says the first small batch of Mercedes fuel cell cars will roll off the assembly line later this year with another small number of electric-only vehicles to follow in 2010. But the car maker emphasised that electric cars would not be replacing combustion engines in the near future.
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