Mercedes-Benz: Cost no deterrent for alternative powertrain development

Posted Thu Apr 10 2008 9:38 PM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Mercedes-Benz is committed to delivering advanced diesel, hybrid, Diesotto and fuel-cell powertrains in the near future no matter the cost, revealed Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche. This is in contrast to statements from rival carmakers like GM, who predict such alternative powertrains can only be developed if customers are willing to foot the bill.

Zetsche explains that since carmakers will soon be required by law to improve the cleanliness of their fleets, customers will be less willing to pay extra for fuel-saving technology. The premium they’re likely to pay for an alternative powertrain will depend heavily on how much they can save in fuel bills and not what the carmaker demands, reports the WSJ.

Mercedes-Benz has a number of promising technologies in the works. Last month the carmaker confirmed a fuel-cell model will be delivered by 2010 and revealed images of the car currently undergoing testing, and before that it took the covers off several ultra-efficient diesel-hybrid concepts as well as its new Diesotto – a new type of engine that combines features of both diesel and petrol powerplants.

Another area where Mercedes plans to lead the market is with the release of a hybrid vehicle powered by a lithium-ion battery. Zetsche revealed the S-class Bluetec hybrid is still two years off but that it can still beat its rivals to the market. As for the extra cost of manufacturing the advanced powertrain, Zetsche explains that the cost will be partly offset by savings made in the rest of the car.

Reader Comments

Fri Apr 11 2008 12:01 AM
Strada Auto Store says

Thank You for the information, it will be interesting to see how it develops.
Fri Apr 11 2008 11:36 AM
chris says

hydrogen is a waste of time. just get that diesotto here right now. gas is ubiquitous in north america, the biggest car market, so make it happen. and then make a plug in hybrid with a diesotto. that sort of technology should be able to hold merc over until battery power becomes acceptable enough to just go with a straight battery powered car. the demands on a battery in a hybrid car are more punishing than those of a "normal" charge and discharge purely electric application anyways. and if in 50 years by some miracle, hydrogen actually happens, well, we'll cross that road when we get to it.
Fri Apr 11 2008 12:39 PM
Gus says

Chris reached into my brain and picked my thoughts out exactly.
Sun Apr 13 2008 4:11 PM
ohmy says

in total agreeance chris
makes sense

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