Mercedes 2013 Annual Report Download - page 108

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The world’s most modern wind tunnel. Through a variety
of improvements, we have substantially reduced the noise
produced by our cars, trucks and buses – and we plan to reduce
it further in the future. The new aeroacoustic wind tunnel
in Sindelfingen is helping us reach that goal. This facility, which
occupies 4,200 square meters and went into operation in
2013, is setting new standards in flow quality and metrology.
In the aeroacoustic wind tunnel, we carry out measurements
of air resistance, acoustic properties and flow fields at simulated
speeds of up to 265 km/h. The testing done at this new facility
provides the foundation for reducing the air resistance of our
vehicles, and as a result their fuel consumption and CO2
emissions. This testing also provides information about how
to prevent wind noise at high speeds – an important con-
sideration when it comes to comfort.
Mercedes-Benz is the pacesetter in the field of aerodynamics,
and in almost every vehicle class we make the cars with
the best aerodynamic values. Some of the latest examples
are the CLA, which has a drag coefficient (cd) of 0.22 –
the lowest in the world for a series-production vehicle – and
the new S-Class, which has a cd value of 0.23.
Lower weight, more recyclates and more natural materials.
We want to make our vehicles lighter while further reducing
the environmental impact of the materials used in their produc-
tion. To achieve these goals, we are using new lightweight
materials and components. In addition, we are increasingly
using renewable resources and recycled materials.
Lightweight construction can reduce the weight of a vehicle
without compromising safety and comfort. Material selection,
component design and manufacturing technology all play
key roles in lightweight engineering. Not every material is suit-
able for every component. At 35%, the bodywork accounts
for the largest portion of a vehicle’s total weight. After that comes
the running gear at 25%, the comfort and safety equipment
at 20%, and the engine and transmission also at 20%. This distri-
bution means that the most effective way to reduce vehicle
weight is to focus on the body. So instead of using conventional
types of steel, we are increasingly employing high-strength
and ultra-high-strength alloys in our bodywork. Lightweight
engineering in the new S-Class has enabled us to make improve-
ments in the body and other components that have reduced
the vehicle’s weight by almost 100 kilograms compared with
the previous model.
Carbon dioxide as a future refrigerant. The debate about
refrigerants for cars’ air conditioning was at the focus of public
interest for several months in 2013. The only currently available
refrigerant that meets the legal limits is a chemical compound
by the name of R1234yf. The safety risks connected with that
refrigerant that Daimler has identified in several tests ulti-
mately led to the decision to use the safe and environmentally
friendly refrigerant CO2 in the future. CO2 is neither flammable
nor toxic and it cools very quickly. We are therefore working
hard on the development of CO2 air conditioning. Until the new
technology is ready for application, Daimler will continue
to use the refrigerant R134a with its proven safety properties,
like most of the other automobile manufacturers. According
to an EU directive, this is allowed until the end of 2016, depend-
ing on the date and other details of a vehicle’s type approval.
All models of the Mercedes-Benz and smart brands have the
relevant type approval with Europe-wide validity.
Extensive recyclability of old vehicles. To make our vehicles
more environmentally friendly, we are reducing our auto-
mobiles’ emissions and the resources they consumes over their
entire lifecycle. We therefore pay close attention to creating
a recycling-friendly design even at the development stage.
Up to 85% of the materials in all Mercedes-Benz models are
recyclable and as much as 95% of the materials are reusable.
Other proven elements of our recycling concept are the resale
of inspected and certified used parts, the reconditioning
of parts that have been replaced, and the workshop disposal
system MeRSy Recycling Management.
Avoiding waste. In the area of waste management, Daimler
believes that recycling and the prevention of waste are better
than disposal. Accordingly, the reconditioning and reuse
of raw, process and operating materials has been standard
practice at our plants for many years. In order to avoid the
creation of waste from the outset, we use innovative techno-
logical processes and environmentally aware production
planning. Waste materials that are unavoidable are generally
recycled. As a result, the recycling rate for waste at our plants
is over 90% on average. At some plants almost 100% of the
waste is now recycled, meaning that waste destined for land-
fills has been almost completely eliminated.
As we pursue our environmental protection activities, we
rely on comprehensive environmental management systems.
Today, more than 98% of our employees worldwide work
in plants whose environmental management systems have
been certified as conforming to the ISO 14001 or EMAS
environmental standards.
Extensive measures for environmental protection in
production. In recent years, we have been able to limit
the energy consumption, CO2 emissions, production-related
solvent emissions and noise pollution at our plants with
the help of environmentally friendly production processes.
As a result, energy consumption during the period from
2008 to 2013 increased at a rate of 1.2% to 11.1 million mega-
watt-hours, which was well below the rate of production
growth. Thanks to a transition to lower CO2 energy carriers and
more efficient energy generation, CO2 emissions decreased
during the same period by 11.2% to a total of 3.4 million tons.
With our ongoing energy savings projects, we were also
able to at least partially compensate for the additional energy
consumption that resulted from the significant increase in
production and the ramp-up of two new plants, one in India and
one in Hungary. The increase in energy consumption compared
with the previous year was therefore disproportionately low
at 2.7%, and CO2 emissions were at the level of the prior year.
With resource-conserving technology such as circulation
systems, we kept our water consumption stable between 2008
and 2013, despite significant growth in production.