Mercedes 2002 Annual Report Download - page 60

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The vision of sustainable mobility
From a medium and, above all, a long-term perspective,
DaimlerChryler believes that another key to realizing
the vision of sustainable mobility lies with alternative
drive concepts and the use of new biogenic or regenera-
tive fuels (see pages 56-57). One of the pillars of our
corporate strategy, which aims at securing a long-term
increase in the value of the company, is to strengthen
our innovative and technological leadership in drive
technology. DaimlerChrysler is therefore working inten-
sively to develop hybrid drive and fuel-cell technologies.
Enhanced performance with hybrid drive systems
For a number of years now, DaimlerChrysler has been
developing hybrid vehicles on the basis of several
different platforms. During this time, we have show-
cased a whole range of hybrid concept vehicles,
including the Mercedes-Benz A-Class “Hyper,” the
“smart hyper,” the Dodge Durango and the Chrysler
Sebring.
The hybrid concept offers an intelligent combination
of the conventional internal-combustion engine and
electric drive technology. In vehicles such as the
Chrysler Sebring, as unveiled in April 2002, this can
significantly reduce fuel consumption along with
substantial improvements in performance.
Nevertheless, the complexity of hybrid technology
means significantly higher manufacturing costs. So only
in exceptional cases, for example the Dodge RAM
Contractor Special, can hybrid vehicles be marketed
economically. DaimlerChrysler is therefore focusing
on lowering the manufacturing costs of hybrids.
First fuel-cell vehicles undergo customer tests
Since 1994, when the company presented its inaugural
fuel-cell concept car, NECAR 1, DaimlerChrysler has
developed and tested 20 different prototypes. They have
been based on company models ranging from the
Mercedes-Benz A-Class to the Jeep®Commander
and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and included NEBUS,
Alternative Drive Concepts
54 |Alternative Drive Concepts
a fuel-cell bus. In October 2002, DaimlerChrysler
unveiled its first fuel-cell vehicles destined for fleet use.
The program comprises 30 fuel-cell-powered Mercedes-
Benz Citaro city buses and 60 Mercedes-Benz A-Class
vehicles. Beginning in 2003, the Citaros will be
delivered to transport operators in ten major European
cities. The A-Class vehicles, which are easily recog-
nizable by their “F-Cell” logos, are to take part in
collaborative testing projects with customers around the
world, starting in 2003, to find out how they perform
in everyday use. The buses will operate in normal service
in cities with differing climates and terrain. At the
same time, they will introduce this clean and innovative
form of transportation to several thousand passengers
in Europe every day.
The completion of the fuel-cell concept phase
at DaimlerChrysler is another milestone on the road to
launching this trendsetting drive technology on the
market. The field tests are expected to yield important
information for the further development of this for-
ward-looking technology.
Fuel-cell drives are substantially more efficient than
internal-combustion engines. As such, they offer great
potential for reducing CO2emissions. Given the radical
modifications to the drive concept that this technology
entails, it is still in the early stages of what will be a
long-term development process. Moreover, the market
launch of such vehicles will require the creation of an
infrastructure for the supply and distribution of
hydrogen or methanol. Mass production is therefore
not expected before the next decade.
Alternative drive concepts are the key to sustainable
mobility |Hybrid vehicles use less fuel than conventional
drive systems |Start of customer tests for fuel-cell
vehicles – a major milestone toward market launch