Two Mercedes-Benz series hybrid Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid buses are being put through their paces as part of a field test led by the Hamburger Hochbahn Transit Company.

The 18-metre hybrid buses are powered in part by four electric motors that are integrated into the wheel hubs on the centre and rear axles, and have a total output of 320kW. The vehicle also uses a combustion engine but it has only 4.8litres displacement compared to the standard 12 and with an output of 160kW it is around a third lower than the normal. It is also comparatively lightweight at around 450kg instead of 1,000kg.

The buses can run solely on electric power for stretches without making use of the diesel engine and they are the first vehicles to be sold and used within the framework of a customer field test in Germany.

It is expected that Mercedes Benz parent-company Daimler will test around 30 Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid buses in selected regions later this year to demonstrate their suitability for everyday use.

With the share price of Indian company Tata Motors having sky-rocketed over the last year, Daimler has decided to sell all 5.34 per cent of its ordinary shares in the car manufacturer.

The German carmaker will pick up a cash inflow of around €300million thanks to its sale of the shares. According to Daimler, the decision was reached because it is in “an excellent position” to capitalise on the Indian passenger and commercial vehicle market and is continuing to identify its own activities there. As such, an equity participation in Tata Motors is no longer necessary and the sale was completed in full consultation with Tata.

Indeed Daimler is gradually making in-roads into the Indian market. It has been producing Mercedes-Benz cars there since 1995; it established a research and development centre in Bangalore in 1996; and in February last year a new plant was opened in Pune for the E-Class and S-Class models.

The brand is also represented with showrooms and service centres in 25 Indian cities and in the first two months of 2010, Mercedes-Benz doubled its sales in the country to 800 vehicles. The company now hopes that the brand will grow at a double digit rate for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Ltd took over the Fuso branded commercial vehicles in the country at the beginning of the year with Daimler Trucks having founded its own production company, known as Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Limited, in 2009.

Mercedes is wasting no time in establishing itself in the green car race by debuting three brand new vehicles at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

At the top of the list is the new E300 BlueTEC diesel HYBRID, Mercedes’ first production diesel hybrid that pairs a 2.2litre four-cylinder engine which produces 204hp with a 15kW electric motor. The motor assists the diesel engine when the car is accelerating and is also used to recuperate brake energy in alternator mode. The overall output from the vehicle is 224hp with torque in excess of 580Nm.

Fuel consumption is a high priority for the Mercedes E300 BlueTEC diesel HYBRID too, as it garners 57mpg and emissions are a meagre 109g/km. Its remarkable figures are achieved thanks to a host of green features including a stop/start function, boost effect and, for the first time, “sailing” and silent starting of the internal combustion engine by the electric motor.

Currently, the company is selling two hybrids – the S400 Hybrid and the ML450 two-mode hybrid – and expects to add the E300 BlueTEC diesel hybrid to the list by the end of 2011.

E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID, C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

Also making their debuts in Geneva are the new Mercedes C220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and the Mercedes E250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY.

Both BlueEFFICIENCY models have lowered fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The C220 CDI achieves 52mpg while its CO2 output falls from 127g/km to 119g/km; while the E250 CDI achieves 48mpg and reduces emissions from 154g/km to 129g/km. Both vehicles boast a special automatic stop-start system and will be available this autumn.

The name BYD Auto remains on the radar for green car enthusiasts as it continues its ambitious plans to establish itself a major global car manufacturer – and now the company has reached an understanding with German car making giant Daimler AG.

The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding for a comprehensive technology partnership to develop electric vehicles for the Chinese market. The plan is to develop a new electric vehicle for the specific requirements of Chinese drivers and it will be marketed under a new brand jointly created and owned by the two firms. Furthermore, Daimler and BYD will also establish a common technology centre that will develop, design and test this electric vehicle.

According to Dr Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG, his company’s know-how in electric vehicle architecture, combined with BYD’s excellence in battery technology and electric drive systems will prove to be a winning combination. He hopes this will give the companies a real platform to grow in what is now the world’s leading automotive market.

Indeed Daimler is no stranger to electric drive vehicles having launched a smart electric drive car already and it also has plans to introduce an all-electric Mercedes-Benz A-Class. BYD meanwhile, introduced the F3DM dual-mode hybrid in December 2008 and will launch a pure electric vehicle, known as the e6, soon.

It is expected that the understanding will stretch to further discussions about additional business opportunities.

Mercedes-Benz is to unveil a ‘research concept’ that can  be run on fuel cell or plug-in hybrid technology.

The new luxury sedan vehicle will be displayed as two separate vehicles at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show, one version of the F 800 Style fitted with a hybrid engine capable of a range of 30 kilometres solely on electricity; and another as a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with a range of 600 kilometres.

A unique concept car, the F 800 will be the first vehicle in the upper medium sector to feature the multi-drive platform.

“We are dedicated to reconciling our responsibility for the environment with practical customer utility in a fascinating automobile,” says Dr. Thomas Weber, the Daimler Board of Management member responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

“The new F 800 Style research vehicle combines this commitment to providing the leading innovative drive concepts with our traditional Mercedes strengths in the areas of design, safety, comfort, and outstanding performance,” he added.

Within the 4.75-meter external length of the F 800 Style, all of the components of the vehicle’s compatible alternative drives are installed in a space-saving manner in the engine compartment and the gaps within the chassis. Each of the drive systems takes up comparatively little space for the installation. This applies in particular to the electric drive with fuel cell, which has been enhanced by Mercedes-Benz to be compact and powerful. The front end’s compact package was made possible through the consistent downsizing of all F-CELL components. As a result, the entire interior space is preserved and offers lots of room for five occupants.

“For many decades now, our research vehicles have been turning pioneering concepts into reality and thereby setting future trends. We set a course on the large touring sedan segment in 2007, when we presented the F 700,” says Prof. Herbert Kohler, Head of E-Drive & Future Mobility and Chief Environmental Officer at Daimler.

“Characteristic features of the F 800 Style are its innovations, whose development is already close to the series production stage. This is true not only of the electric drive with fuel cells but also of the Plug-in Hybrid, whose components were taken from our modular system for electric and hybrid vehicles.”

In hybrid form, its drive unit consists of a V6 gasoline engine with an output of approximately 220 kW (300 hp) with next-generation direct injection and a hybrid module with an output of about 80 kW (109 hp) so that it delivers a total power of around 300 kW (409 hp). The lithium-ion battery with a storage capacity of >10 kWh can be recharged either at a charging station or a household power socket. Due to its efficient drive system and a CO2 bonus for the battery-electric driving mode, the vehicle has a certified fuel consumption of only 2.9 litres of gasoline per 100 kilometres. This corresponds to extremely low CO2 emissions of only 68 grams per kilometre. However, thanks to its outstanding efficiency, the F 800 Style equipped with a Plug-in Hybrid nevertheless has a driving performance comparable to a sports car (0-100 km/h in 4.8 s, top speed of 250 km/h). When in electric mode, the F 800 Style has a top speed of 120 km/h, and can thus also meet the needs associated with long-distance driving.

In fuel cell form the F 800 Style also offers clean driving pleasure in the variant equipped with an electric drive based on fuel cell technology. The vehicle’s electric motor develops around 100 kW (136 hp) as well as a strong torque of approximately 290 Nm. The fuel cell generates the traction current by chemically reacting hydrogen with oxygen onboard the vehicle, producing water vapour in the process as the only emission.

The new concept will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on March 2, ahead of the public show opening on March 4.

With zero road emissions, travelling by taxi in the nation’s capital could soon get an environmentally friendly spin.

Eco City Vehicles PLC has launched an all-electric prototype of the London-licensed Mercedes Vito taxi, which has been developed by a consortium of companies including Zytek Automotive, Penso and Mercedes Benz UK.

Known as the eVito taxi, it is powered by a 70kW Zytek electric drive system as well as a 38kWh Valence lithium-ion battery power pack that has been installed in a weatherproof enclosure underneath the floor to allow the internal space of the taxi to remain unaffected. It has a top speed of 75mph and is fully compliant with the Mayor of London’s clean air standards.

The programme has been partly funded by a £2.5million grant from Advantage West Midlands and later this year the consortium hopes to conduct controlled trials to confirm the eVito’s suitability for road use as a London licensed taxi.

The Vito was originally launched in June 2008 and is an alternative to TX4 old-style taxi. It has captured a 30 per cent market share of new black cab taxi sales in London since its launch.

As it attempts to extend its truck range, Mercedes-Benz will gradually introduce Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle (EEV) versions of its Actros, Axor and Atego models.

The EEV is a European classification with a stringent exhaust emission standard that reduce particulate emissions by around a third compared to Euro 5 limits and incentives are available for this technology in some European countries. Mercedes-Benz models that are equipped with this feature can be recognised by the BlueTec EEV model plate.  

Since October last year, BlueTec EEVs have been available as options on Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks in the output classes 300kW, 320kW and 335kW as well as the Mercedes Benz Axor in output classes 210kW and 240kW. Now, from July, the Actros will be available in a BlueTec EEV version for the variants with 235kW and 365kW and, from March 2010, the entire Mercedes-Benz Atego series will be available in EEV versions.

The BlueTec EEV is also included in the extended standard equipment of the Mercedes Benz Econic and applies to the 210kW and 240kW diesel engine variants. In the EEV version of the OM501 LA engine, a change in the engine’s characteristic map prompts a reduction in particulate emissions of more than 30 per cent.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the EEV solution is at the same level as the well-proven BlueTec 5 technology in terms of maintenance, operating life, fuel consumption, weight and installation space.

Lithium-ion battery production could increase by 10x its original target number if Daimler and Evonik get their way.

According to a report in Germany’s Handelsblatt, the companies want to invest an additional €200million in their joint lithium-ion manufacturing venture Deutsche Accumotive GmbH & Co. KG to boost production at the plant that is currently under construction.

The original target for the plant was to produce 300,000 cells a year by 2011 but this is likely to increase to 2.9million cells a year in 2013.

Daimler wants electric drive vehicles to be made more rapidly available to avoid paying billions in fines for exceeding the European required fleet average of 130g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2). If Mercedes sells 800,000 units, as it expects, in 2012 with an average emission level of 160g/km it could face fines of €2.1billion according to the report – however, having around 50,000 electric cars in that volume would slash the fines to around €115million.

As for the company itself, it denies the connection and commented that it is 100 per cent confident it will meet its CO2 targets alone with an improvement in conventional technology.

As the Los Angeles Motor Show inches ever closer, more announcements are being made about exciting new vehicles with a distinctly green theme that will debut at the event.

Among them are two new vehicles from Mercedes Benz – the diesel-powered E350 BlueTEC and the hydrogen fuel cell powered F-Cell, both of which will be making their North American debuts at the event.

The E350 BlueTEC is powered by a 3.0litre V6 diesel engine with 210hp and 542Nm of torque. It achieves around 30 per cent better fuel economy than a comparable petrol engine and includes an AdBlue SCR system. It will be available from spring 2010.

The Mercedes Benz F-Cell meanwhile, has a range of around 240 miles and offers an equivalent fuel mileage of 86.6 city-highway combined miles per gallon when running on compressed hydrogen. It is expected that 200 of the vehicles will be delivered to customers around the US and Europe as part of a lease programme.

Another debutant from Mercedes, at the event, will be the ML450 Hybrid – which will be making its first appearance on the West Coast. It uses a 3.5litre V6 petrol engine, along with a two-mode hybrid system, and produces more than 46 per cent better fuel economy that a comparable V8 ML550 model.

It’s good to be Mercedes Benz, as the German manufacturer picks up a grant of up to €9million for the research and development, testing and trial of battery electric vans.

The money comes from the Federal German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety as part of its Economic Support Program II. Up to 50 Mercedes Benz vans will be produced and delivered with the drive system configured for electric operation.

The focus will be placed on adapting the drive system, along with energy management and the recuperation of braking energy. It will also look at the provision of replacement parts, as well as charging and diagnostic systems. Further emphasis will be placed on the lithium-ion battery that supplies the electric van with power. In order to enhance the operating life and performance of the lithium-ion battery, temperature is a key factor.

Research and development will primarily take place in Stuttgart and will be focused on safeguarding employment and developing know-how in electric mobility and its technology. Infrastructure related aspects will also be explored during the trials.

The aim of the all the projects is to extend the technologies developed to other van model series and to achieve a production maturity in a short time. It is expected that Mercedes Benz Vans will begin testing the electric van with selected customers in 2010.