No end in sight for hybrid cars
The battery range of plug-in hybrid cars could stretch out to 100km in the next generation, Mercedes-Benz's head of development has claimed.
©kasto via 123RF
With at least 10 new plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz models on sale in various markets including SA by the end of next year, development director Thomas Weber said the next generation of plug-ins would be able to run up to 100km as battery-electric vehicles.
"We are working to bring 10 plug-in hybrids to the market by the end of next year, but that will not be the end of it," he said.
"Then we work on the extension of the range based on battery development. We are working on plug-in hybrid systems based on the S-Class technology for extended range. The next generation vehicle will overcome the 30km to 50km hurdle and then the next generation after that will be 80km-100km when they run as pure electric cars."
Trio of technology
While Mercedes-Benz will offer a fuel-cell electric car next year and deliver a pure battery electric car in 2018, the lion's share of its electrified-drive development targets the immediacy of the plug-in hybrid.
Plug-in hybrids marry an internal combustion engine (usually a petrol powered motor) with what is effectively a small battery version of an electric car. The bonus for plug-in hybrid drivers is that they can have a short-range electric car for city work, without compromising the range between fill-ups in openroad driving.
The big advantage the company has in developing all three technologies at once is that they share similar ways of delivering their energy to the wheels. "On the component side there are synergies with batteries and motors in all the electric models, and that includes the plug-in models," Weber said. "The components can be used with more than one vehicle."
Source: Business Day
Source: I-Net Bridge
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