Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero

Posted by admin in Auto Green on 01 10th, 2009 | no responses

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Hydrogen , Mercedes Benz , Detroit Auto Show Click above for high-res image gallery of the concept BlueZero At an off-site reception held tonight ahead of tomorrow’s opening of the Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz showed off its new Concept BlueZero. The car is both an example of clean technology and a preview of the styling for the next generation Mercedes B-Class. Like the current A and B class models, this concept uses a sandwich floor design and adds a modular powertrain system. The car is envisioned with 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 flavor 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. Mercedes also announced that it will begin low-volume series production of the fuel cell B-Class later this year and follow that with low volume series production of a battery electric vehicle in 2010. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz Concept BlueZero Gallery: Mercedes benz Concept BlueZero [Source: Mercedes-Benz] Live Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green