Mercedes-Benz Says Next-Generation S-Class Will Include Plug-In Hybrid Model
By Scott Doggett January 4, 2010
The next generation of Mercedes-Benz S-class models will include plug-in hybrid, and the automaker intends to extend the fuel-saving technology across the rest of its range, the company's head of research and development said today.
"It makes a lot of sense to bundle the high-price tech option to the sort of customers willing to pay for this sort of thing," Thomas Weber said.
The announcement comes four months after Mercedes-Benz unveiled a Vision S500 plug-in hybrid concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show and three months after Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche told reporters that hybrids and battery-electric cars will be long-term interim technologies until hydrogen fuel cell cars and hydrogen fueling technology are ready for market.
The company hasn't publicly disclosed performance information pertaining to the plug-in hybrid, but sources have told us that it will feature a 60-horsepower electric motor mated to a gasoline-fed V6 engine. The twin power sources can reportedly propel the large Benz to 60 miles per hour in less than 5.5 seconds.
The motor will reportedly receive its electricity from a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery that has a storage capacity of more than 10 kilowatt hours -- enough to enable the car to go about 19 miles on electrons only before an onboard gas-powered engine-generator kicks in to feed juice to the battery.
Weber ruled out a purely electric S-class model, citing concerns over the vehicle's range between charges.
As previously reported, other versions of the next S-class will be fitted with next-gen six- and eight-cylinder gasoline engines featuring fuel-efficient direct injection, stop-start technology, and turbochargers or electric motors.
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