Mercedes 2009 Annual Report Download - page 143

Testbench for electric drive with fuel cells.
Sustainability | Environment, Innovation, and Safety |139
Intelligent mobility concepts. Due to their high-density traffic
volumes, cities increasingly need intelligent mobility concepts.
Such concepts are therefore important components of our strategy
for achieving emission-free mobility – a strategy that we plan to
gradually develop further. One example is the car2go flexible rental
car concept, which we launched in the autumn of 2008, initially
in Ulm. smart fortwo vehicles are now available throughout the city
and can be rented by anyone at any time. Following a one-time
registration process, customers can book the vehicles either in
advance or on the spur of the moment. The success of this new
mobility concept significantly exceeded our expectations. At the
end of 2009, 15,000 customers were registered with car2go
in Ulm, equivalent to over 15% of all Ulm residents with driver
licenses. With a fleet of 200 available vehicles, between 600
and 1,000 rentals are processed each day. In November, Daimler
started its first international car2go project in Austin, Texas.
An innovative bus transport system by the name of Bus Rapid
Transport (BRT) points the way toward the creation of a fast and
flexible local public transportation system. This customer-friendly
initiative makes it easier for people to switch from their own cars
to public transportation. BRT systems are already in very success-
fully operation with buses from Mercedes-Benz in Nantes, Istanbul,
Bogota, and Mexico City. A team of BRT experts from Daimler
Buses helps municipalities worldwide to introduce and enhance
customized concepts. The service is currently also being pro-
vided to the cities that will host the World Cup soccer games in
South Africa. In our efforts, we not only focus on buses, but seek
to create a networked and smoothly functioning transportation
system in which existing and new modes of transport comple-
ment one another.
Our “Vision of Accident-free Driving.” In addition to new drive
systems, our research and development work continues to focus
on safety in road traffic. Reducing driver stress, providing active
support in difficult situations as well as optimal protection for
vehicle occupants, cyclists and pedestrians – we are working hard
in all these areas within the framework of our “Vision of Accident-
free Driving.” Daimler invests more than any other automaker
worldwide in the development of life-saving safety systems. And
when it comes to implementing new concepts, we greatly exceed
legal requirements. Using the results of crash research, we de-
velop driver assistance systems that play a major role. One such
development is the innovative ATTENTION ASSIST system, which
recognizes signs of driver fatigue by registering changes in his or
her behavior. If necessary, it even encourages the driver to take
a break. The lane-change assistant warns the driver if a vehicle is
in the blind spot of the side mirror in an adjacent lane. On aver-
age, the two radar-supported systems DISTRONIC PLUS and Brake
Assist PLUS (BAS PLUS) can reduce rear-end collisions by 20%.
At the 21st International Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV) Con-
ference in Stuttgart in June 2009, we presented the new ESF
2009 experimental safety vehicle from Mercedes-Benz. This con-
cept vehicle is based on the Mercedes S 400 HYBRID and fea-
tures more than a dozen safety-related innovations. One of them
is the inflatable PRESAFE
®
metal structure, which increases the
stability of structural components. Another is the Braking Bag –
an additional braking system attached to the vehicle underbody
which is automatically activated just before a collision.
Optimum safety in commercial vehicles. Commercial vehicles
from Daimler are among the safest in the world. For example,
we are the only manufacturer in the world to supply trucks and
buses with the Active Brake Assist (ABA) system, which triggers
an emergency braking maneuver with maximum effect if a collision
with the vehicle in front is imminent. The system is currently
unique in the industry; it is available for Mercedes-Benz trucks
and was recently also introduced for Mercedes-Benz and Setra
coaches. In conjunction with Allianz and Dekra, we launched the
Safety Plus initiative to promote the use of this assistance sys-
tem and others such as roll control, lane assist, the electronic sta-
bility program (ESP) and proximity control. Several employers’
liability insurance associations and insurance companies now
offer discounts on their premiums if a commercial vehicle is
equipped with such safety technologies. By the end of 2009, we
had delivered to customers more than 11,300 trucks and
buses with the Active Brake Assist emergency braking system.