Mercedes 2009 Annual Report Download - page 33

PioneeringSpiritandInnovativeStrength| 29
QuestionsfortestcustomerRolfBauer,artist
andownerofalmdubbingstudioinBerlin:
What do you particularly like about the
new smart fortwo electric drive?
Rolf Bauer:Ihavealwaysbeenasmartfan
andamdelightedthatIcanbeatrendsetter
withthenewsmartfortwoelectricdriveand
canalreadyexperiencethemosteconomical
andenvironmentallycompatibleformof
mobility.
How practical is your town car?
Rolf Bauer:Theelectricsmartisidealfor
thecity;it’salotoffuntodriveandIcan
cover135kmwithnolocalemissionsbefore
havingtorechargethebattery.
»Peopleandmetropolisesine-motion
 withbattery-electricdrivefromDaimler.«
Berlin. Just after 6:30 a.m. The rst
commuters reach Potsdamer Platz in
their cars. Pedestrians walk by, passing
vans and taxis. School children laugh
as they get onto a bus – the only loud
noise to be heard in the morning rush
hour. All of the vehicles move almost
silently and free of local emissions –
a vision?
This is still a preview of the future of
electric mobility, but the smart fortwo
electric drive provides us with a good
impression. This town car is already
electrifying many cities and is the
trendsetter for the urban mobility of
tomorrow with its battery drive system.
Since the end of 2009, we have been
producing a small series of smart fortwo
ed cars that are fully suitable for every-
day use with innovative lithium-ion
batteries; selected customers are testing
the cars. This model will be generally
available as of 2012. And the Sprinter
will be the rst electric van from
Mercedes-Benz to be used in road tests
with customers in 2010.
London.Since2007,100smartfortwo
electricdrivecarsoftherstgeneration
havebeenontheroadinDaimler’spilot
projectforbattery-electricdrive.
AnadditionaladvantageintheBritish
capitalcity:Thesmartedisexemptfrom
innerLondon’scongestioncharge.
Berlin.Withthesmartedofthelatest
generationandthebattery-charging
infrastructurefromRWE,wearestarting
thenextstageofpractical,intelligentand
customer-friendlyelectricmobilityinthe
“e-mobilityBerlin”project.
Chargingupandpayingforecological
electricityatthe500publicchargingpoints
oratone’sownchargingpointinthegarage
isaseasyasusingamobilephone.Thegoal
ofthisjointprojectistofurtheroptimizethe
interactionbetweentherequiredcharging
infrastructureandDaimler’svehicle
technology.
Rome, Milan, Pisa.Italianlifestyleincludes
electricmobilityasof2010.Inthe
“e-mobilityItaly”project,morethan100
smartandMercedes-Benzelectriccarswill
beontheroadinthesethreecities.Enel,
Italy’sbiggestpowercompany,hasinstalled
400ofitsownchargingpointsasatailored
solutiontothespecialsituationinItaly’s
cities.
Stuttgart.Locallyemission-freegoods
transportstartedin1972withtheuseofa
Mercedes-BenzelectricvanattheOlympic
GamesinMunich.Mercedes-Benzisnow
producing50Sprinterswithpurelyelectric
drive,whichwillbehandedoverto
customersfortrialsin2010.Thispioneering
DaimlerprojectissupportedbytheFederal
MinistryfortheEnvironment.Ourgoalis
toreachseriesmaturitywiththesevehicles
withtechnicallyandeconomicallyperfect
solutions.