“With the rising need for mobility and the continuing high demand for cars and commercial vehicles, the biggest challenges for our industry in China and the rest of Asia are the environment-friendly use of energy and other resources,” stated Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG with responsibility for Research and Technology and for the Development of the Mercedes Car Group.

Particularly in China, the world’s most populous country, DaimlerChrysler strives to meet the rapidly rising desire for individual mobility with the latest technology and a wide product range. Dr. Weber: “In addition to alternative drive systems such as hybrid drive and fuel cells, DaimlerChrysler is also working on optimizing the internal-combustion engine, which still has enormous potential also in China.”

With about 80% growth in the last four years, China is the fastest growing car market in the world. According to estimates by J. D. Power, a market-research company, the number of automobiles in China will nearly triple from its present 20 million in the coming five years. In 15 years, the number of cars in the country is estimated at up to 140 million.

DaimlerChrysler intends to participate in this growth and set a milestone in its China activities in the year 2004: Both in the car and the van business, as well as in the area of financial services, activities were pushed forward and business systems were successfully further developed to reflect market conditions. The same applies to the Commercial Vehicles division. With the signing of the joint ventures, Beijing Benz–DaimlerChrysler Automotive Ltd. and DaimlerChrysler Van (China) Ltd., the Group has created an excellent starting point to complete its brand and product portfolio in the car and van sectors.

Another important step in the financial services business was the ap-proval to offer vehicle financing in China. “This full range of cars and commercial vehicles as well as financial services gives DaimlerChrysler a unique market position in China and underscores our long-term commitment to this attractive growth region,” emphasized Dr. Rüdiger Grube, Board of Management Member of DaimlerChrysler AG with responsibility for Corporate Development and the China business.

“In order to secure environment-friendly mobility, in particular in China, DaimlerChrysler is making major investments in innovative drive systems such as hybrid drive and fuel cells, which are firmly anchored in the Group’s corporate strategy in the form of a technology calendar for the passenger-car and commercial-vehicle business,” added Board of Management Member for Research, Dr. Weber.

With the cars shown at “Auto China”, DaimlerChrysler is not only showing two focuses of its strategy for alternative drive systems, but is also impressively demonstrating how comfort, a sporty driving style and sustainable mobility can be combined.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class “Hybrid” combines comfort and efficiency

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class “Hybrid” presents DaimlerChrysler’s latest hybrid-drive generation. With the so-called P1/2 transmission, DaimlerChrysler has developed a hybrid technology that combines high-performance with a highly efficient design principle. The hybrid concepts previously presented are mainly suitable for small and medium-sized combustion engines. The concept now being shown in Asia for the first time forms the basis for the further development of hybrid technology together with General Motors.

The drive system in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class “Hybrid” has a maxi-mum performance of up to 241 kilowatts (340 horsepower), a new record for automobiles with hybrid drive. The eight-cylinder CDI diesel engine delivers 191 kW (260 hp) and 560 newton-meters, the two electrical motors with a total output of 50 kW (70 hp) optimize driving comfort and acceleration. Thanks to the second electrical motor, the diesel engine can be started at any time independently of the driving mode. The electrical motors are powered by a nickel-metal-hydride battery with a capacity of 1.9 kWh, installed in the trunk of the S-Class. Electrical energy is generated while braking and the battery is also charged when the V8 diesel engine is in use. The S-Class “Hybrid” accelerates from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (approx. 62 mph) in 7.6 seconds. Comfort is enhanced, while fuel consumption is reduced by 15% to 20% compared with the conventional model, depending on driving conditions.

In order to optimally integrate current projects into the strategic cooperation with General Motors and Ballard/Ford (fuel-cells) and to push forward with hybrid and fuel-cell technology, DaimlerChrysler has bundled its research and development activities in both fields in two spe-cialized competence centers. In addition, this framework creates an efficient platform for the effective transfer of research and development projects into series production.

Next generation of fuel-cell vehicles

With the Mercedes-Benz B-Class “F-Cell”, DaimlerChrysler is extending its family of fuel-cell vehicles into the sports-tourer segment. The B-Class, a touring, family and leisure vehicle, incorporates the unique sandwich concept developed by Mercedes-Benz, making it ideal for this type of drive system. The high-torque electric motor will deliver more than 100 kilowatts (136 hp), which is 35 kW (48 hp) more than the motor of the previous generation, the A-Class “F-Cell”. Thanks to reduced consumption and significantly improved hydrogen storage capacity, its range has doubled to nearly 400 kilometers on a full tank. In addition, with the B-Class “F-Cell” the reliability and durability of the components, especially the fuel-cell stack, have been further improved.

Since the end of 2004, 60 Mercedes-Benz A-Class “F-Cell” cars have been in use in the world’s biggest practical test of fuel-cell cars with customers in Germany, the United States, Japan and Singapore. In this first test phase, more than 300,000 kilometers have already been driven and documented with these vehicles under varying conditions.

Extensive fuel-cell activities in China

DaimlerChrysler supports the introduction of alternative drive technologies in the biggest country in the world. China is already the world’s second-biggest producer of carbon dioxide emissions after the United States. Pollution is enormous, particularly in metropolises and conurbations. For these reasons, DaimlerChrysler has been active in the field of alternative drive systems in China for many years now. Together with Tongji University, the Group’s engineers have been advancing the introduction of the hydrogen economy and supplying know-how for the development of the fuel cell. This year, three additional fuel-cell buses are to be supplied to Beijing.

In the long term, fuel cells offer the best possibility to combine environmental protection with automotive mobility. Because fuel cells run on pure hydrogen or hydrogen carriers, and make “zero-emission” vehicles possible. They create electricity as a byproduct of the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, which is then used to drive an electrical motor. The efficiency of this type of drive technology is about twice as high as with conventional combustion engines.

Growing importance of natural gas in China

In addition to drive systems, alternative and renewable fuels play an important role for sustainable mobility and future independence of mineral oil. Natural gas is available in large reserves and can also be used as fuel for vehicles – as compressed natural gas (CNG) for example. According to the latest plans by the Chinese government, natural gas is to replace coal as China’s most important source of energy in the long term. For a long time now, DaimlerChrysler has supplied bivalent gasoline/natural gas versions of the E-Class and the Sprinter as an environment-friendly alternative. This type of drive system is a significant element of the Group’s strategy for alternative drive technologies.

In a two-stage procedure, natural gas can also be converted into a synthetic liquid fuel in the gas-to-liquid (GTL) process. This highly pure and low-emission, synthetic fuel can be distributed via the existing infrastructure and can also be produced with the biomass-to-liquid (BTL) or coal-to-liquid procedure. All synthetic fuels can be used by conventional diesel engines without any modifications and can therefore also contribute to environment-friendly driving in the short term with existing vehicle fleets.

Five steps on the way to emission-free mobility

Within the framework of its five-phase roadmap “Energy for the Fu-ture”, DaimlerChrysler is working on the further improvement of the internal-combustion engine. Because the potential of gasoline and diesel engines is far from exhausted. The goal is to reduce consumption and emissions while increasing driving pleasure, performance and comfort. Modern diesel technology from DaimlerChrysler is an important link in the roadmap and is also an important step towards sustainable mobility in Asia. This type of engine is extremely energy-efficient; diesel produces about 20% less CO2 than comparable gasoline engines and hydrocarbon emissions are also lower.

Modern diesel engines have the advantages of high performance, superior torque development and unbeatable efficiency. And diesel is economical. With one tank full (80 liters), a Mercedes-Benz 320 CDI has an average range of 1000 kilometers.

DaimlerChrysler is also working for improved fuel quality worldwide, and supports the evolution of fuels ranging from crude oil to virtually CO2-neutral fuels made from biomass. Hybrid drive is an important intermediate step on the way to emission-free mobility with fuel cells.