The cute little smart fortwo never had a chance in the Land of the Monster Truck. After a decade of dismal sales, Daimler has announced that it will stop selling gas-powered smarts in the US and Canada. The smart fortwo electric drive will continue to be sold, making smart one of two companies that sell… Read more »
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Daimler expands stationary storage business to US
Daimler has been exploring various energy storage applications in Europe since 2015, and now plans to expand its stationary storage business to the US market. The new Mercedes-Benz Energy Americas will source batteries from Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE, and will bring initial product offerings to the US early in 2017. Daimler’s scalable energy storage concept… Read more »
Mercedes to offer wireless charging system using Qualcomm Halo technology
When Mercedes updates its S550e plug-in hybrid in 2017, it plans to offer a wireless charging (WEVC) system, manufactured by a Tier 1 power electronics supplier that has licensed Qualcomm’s Halo technology. Qualcomm and Daimler didn’t say which supplier would be producing the wireless system for Mercedes, but in July, Qualcomm entered into a license… Read more »
Tesla Model S dominates luxury sedan segment in the US
Back in 2013, we noted that the Tesla Model S was already outselling competing cars from legacy automakers – it took the number two spot in the large luxury sedan segment, an impressive feat for what was then a new model from a startup company. Three years later, the flagship EV has achieved total domination… Read more »
EVs aplenty at Paris Motor Show
Electricity was en vogue at the recent Paris Motor Show. Few automakers had any new ICE vehicles (isn’t that an oxymoron anyway?), but there were updates to several production EVs, and a couple of promising concepts, on display. The Renault Zoe, Europe’s best-selling plug-in vehicle, has gotten a substantial battery upgrade. An available 41 kWh… Read more »
Mercedes said to be planning new line of EVs
Mercedes-Benz is planning a new line of electric vehicles, including two SUVs and two sedans, Bloomberg reported, citing two unnamed sources. The company will create a new sub-brand, and the new electric line-up will reach dealers before the end of the decade. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in June that the company planned to unveil… Read more »
Mercedes presents electric delivery truck
Despite the demonstrable savings, commercial vehicles have been slower to electrify than passenger cars, and the majors have mostly left the field open for start-up firms such as Motiv Power Systems and Wrightspeed. However, as performance improves and emissions regulations tighten (some European cities are making noises about someday banning ICE trucks from city centers),… Read more »
Convinced that the market is ready for plug-ins, Daimler invests 7 billion euros
Daimler has cranked up the voltage several notches with a series of EV-related announcements. The German auto giant plans to invest €7 billion ($7.9 billion) in green tech R&D over the next two years. Mercedes’ seventh and eighth PHEV models, the GLC Coupé 350 e 4MATIC and the E 350 e, are to arrive in… Read more »
Kreisel Electric builds new battery factory in Austria
Battery manufacturer Kreisel Electric has started construction on a new factory in Rainbach, Austria, which it calls 3K One. When the 67,000-square-foot plant comes online in March 2017, it will have the capacity to produce 800,000 kWh worth of batteries per year. The new facility will feature a fully automated production line, and will also… Read more »
New Mercedes E-Class will include a PHEV version
Electric technology continues to creep into new cars, especially at the upper end of the market. Mercedes-Benz’s tenth generation E-Class sedan, introduced at the Detroit auto show in January, will feature the company’s ECO start/stop function on all engine types. Daimler has also announced that the new E-Class will be offered in a plug-in hybrid… Read more »