Mercedes-Benz rolls out first of two new hybrid cars (part two)

Photo 2010 Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHybrid courtesy Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is using a powerful lithium-ion battery for its first hybrid passenger car, the S 400 luxury sedan, instead of the more conventional nickel metal hydride battery used in most hybrids.

The Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHYBRID arrives in North America in September 2009 as a 2010 model, to be followed by the MS450 hybrid SUV, in December, also as a 2010 model. 

My math is not very reliable, so rather than translate liters and kilometers into gallons and miles and be wrong and get nasty comments, here are the numbers that Mercedes-Benz is sharing with customers in Europe about the S 400 hybrid –

• fuel consumption is a mere 7.9 litres per 100 kilometers, which makes for the world's lowest CO2 emissions in this vehicle and performance class - just 186 grams per kilometer.
• The gas engine kicks out 205 kW/279 hp, the electric motor generates 15 kW/20 hp and a starting torque of 160 Nm.
• Working together, the lithium-ion batteries and the gas engine can generate 220 kW/299 hp and a combined maximum torque of 385 newton meters, known on this side of the Atlantic as foot pounds.

The driver -- that's you -- benefits from the combined action of battery-powered motor and gas-powered engine for the kind of smooth and powerful acceleration you expect from a Mercedes luxury sedan, especially from an S-Class, which is the world's best-selling luxury sedan.  The S 400 hybrid is based on the Mercedes-Benz S450 with a V8 engine, but the hybrid gets similar power and better miles per gallon with a V6.  And lithium ion batteries.

Part of the fuel economy comes from the start/stop function of the hybrid module has a start/stop function, which switches the engine off when you are at a stop, such as at a traffic light. This saves both fuel economy and the environment, because you can forget about using gas or kicking out emissions during the starting phase. When the light turns green, the electric motor restarts the main power unit in a blink.

The auto reviewer of London's venerable Financial Times test drove the new S 400 and loved it enough to complain that Mercedes is not making this car with a right-hand drive.  My source at Mercedes hints that's because there's not enough potential customers in Britain, Scotland or Wales to pay back that kind of financial investment. 

The Mercedes-Benz S 400 hybrid will compete with the flagship Lexus hybrid, the Lexus LS 600h, and cost around $90,000.  

As I wrote in Part One, Germany has been slow to wrap its formidable engineering brains round hybrid technology, preferring instead to focus on clean diesel technology and even hydrogen.  The five major German car-makers – in alphabetical order they are Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volkswagen – have lots of green, energy-efficient clean diesels, including the VW Jetta TDI clean diesel, named Green Car of the Year at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. 

Other German hybrids you can expect to see soon are the BMW 7 Series hybrid and the Porsche Cayenne hybrid.
 

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