Mercedes-Benz Unveils Concept BlueZero at Detroit 2009
January 11, 2009 by admin
Mercedes-Benz showed off its new Concept BlueZero at an off-site reception held before the opening of the Detroit Auto Show. The car is both an example of clean technology and a preview of the styling for the next generation Mercedes B-Class. This concept uses a sandwich floor design like the current A and B class models, and adds a modular powertrain system.
There will be three powertrain options depending on the range requirements. The BlueZero E-Cell uses a 35 kWh lithium ion battery pack to provide a 120-mile range, while the BlueZero F-Cell variant gets a 90 kW hydrogen fuel cell for a 240-mile range. The efficiency of the fuel cell version is rated at the equivalent of 81 mpg (US).
The third is the E-Cell Plus and adds a 67-hp three-cylinder engine from the Smart ForTwo mounted in the rear between the sandwich floor layers where the spare tire would normally go. The ER-EV variant cuts the battery size in half as well as the electric-only range. The range extender, however, bumps the total range to 360 miles.
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