Mercedes believes hybrids next big thing

A Mercedes hybrid at NAIAS

While small city EVs are just around the corner, EVs with range similar to today's vehicles are still 20 years away according to Thomas Weber, the research and development boss of Mercedes-Benz.

Thus, Mercedes will continue to work on EV technologies, but the short term focus will be on improving conventional technologies, while rolling out hybrid technology.

"Hybrids offer great potential in terms of their flexibility. Pure electric vehicles are still constrained by range and there many issues still to address in terms of weight and cost. Hybrid technology has now been well-established by the Japanese makers and at last week's Frankfurt Show we showed the full range of our own hybrid technologies."

Daimler bringing hybrid R&D to US

Special hybrids for the US?

Dailmer is looking for a site to build a new hybrid vehicle R&D center in the US to "develop alternative propulsion systems including hybrid technology, hybrid transmissions, electric motors and power electronics" according to GCG.

Already, Daimler has rolled out a number of hybrid vehicles, so the reason for a R&D center in the US seems a bit strange at this point in time. It'll be interesting to see where this project is heading - hopefully to a bunch of new hybrids for the US market.

Fiat and Mercedes to partner on hybrids?

A global warming fused partnership?

"Speculation has swirled for weeks that Daimler could seek a partner to work on the next generation of Mercedes-Benz A-Class and B-Class compact cars, whose importance is being highlighted by the debate on cars' contribution to global warming," notes a recent Reuters article.

Thus, Mercedes is courting the possibility of a partnership with either Fiat or BMW at the moment, and while Fiat has a chance, most think the Mini Cooper makes BMW a more likely partner.

Now, there is no news of collaboration on hybrid cars, but many European automakers, such as Peugeot, have claimed that diesel hybrids might be the only way forward for autos if the EU lives up to its proposed plans to cut CO2 emissions. And, Mercedes does have a number of plans for hybrid vehicles, including diesel hybrids, and a partnership would be a good way to spread the costs of those hybrids.

Speculation aside, I'm not all that familiar with Fiat, but I'd love to get my hands on a Mini hybrid.

Siemens shows off hybrid sports car

A modified hybrid Mercedes C-Class by Siemens

Hybrid sports cars don't make sense, right? People buy hybrid vehicles for fuel economy, not performance, so why would Siemens modify a Mercedes C-Class Sports Coupe into a hybrid?

For starters, the hybrid offers incredible sport's car performance, along with incredible fuel economy for such performance. Moreover, it allows Siemens to debut its new prototype lithium hybrid technology, as well as its lithium battery cooling system - possibly the key to lithium power.

Still, isn't such a vehicle a waste of hybrid technology? Didn't the Honda Accord hybrid prove that performance hybrids don't sell?

Until a new battery is developed, hybrid technology is still just an emerging technology. NiMH batteries are not the future of the automotive revolution. Lithium batteries, or something similar, will power the real hybrid revolution. More important, economies of scale will make lithium-powered vehicles cost-effective compared to conventional vehicles, even expensive sports coupes.

Ultimately, cost-effective lithium technology isn't only about fuel economy, it's about better automobiles, even sports coupes.

--> Read more about the Siemens hybrid in the DetroitNews.

A diesel hybrid from Mercedes within 2 years?

A Mercedes Blutec Diesel at NAIAS

There are rumors in the blogoshpere that Mercedes might offer a Blutec Diesel hybrid vehicle within two years. However, it appears these rumors are purely speculation, or an educated guess. Nonetheless, a mild hybrid diesel seems to fit quite well with Mercedes' plans for diesel and hybrid technology.