willay
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Story is unconfirmed but well sourced
quote:
n less than 7 years, Mercedes-Benz plans to ditch petroleum-powered vehicles from its lineup. Focusing on electric, fuel cell, and biofuels, the company is revving up research in alternative fuel sources and efficiency.
The German car company has a few new power-trains in the line-up that European journalists have had the opportunity to test out in the Mercedes facility in Spain. One vehicle includes the F700, powered by a DiesOtto engine that combines HCCI and spark ignition to get nearly the same efficiency as diesel, but minus the expensive after-treatment systems.
The engine can run on biofuels, and we may have a purchasable vehicle by 2010 -- a year that seems to be popular for the debut of a lot of new alternative fuel car models, making ’08 and ’09 simply thumb-twiddling years for consumers. I don’t know, maybe car makers just like the roundness of “2010.” The company’s next big step will be to launch a Smart electric car which is fuel and emission-free.
Anyway, Mercedes is looking into electric vehicles, both battery-powered and fuel-cell powered. Not only are models in development, but we’ve also seen the company making steps towards its zero-petroleum goal right now, from better cabs in London to li-ion battery improvements. The company also has about 100 Smart electric cars undergoing testing in London, with that favorite 2010 year as the projected market release date.
Mercedes is making serious investments, already putting nearly $4 million into the pot of its long-term Sustainable Mobility plan, with another nearly $1.4 billion going in before 2014.
While car models may be able to run on fuels other than gasoline or diesel, we have yet to find a method of both running and producing vehicles entirely free of fossil fuels. I’m waiting for a mainstream car line that creates renewable fuel, clean-running vehicles out of 100% recycled materials in plants run on 100% renewable, clean power … Will I even be alive when that finally happens? I have hope.
link: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/603/mercedes-to-cut-petroleum-out-of-lineup-by-2015.html
Hard to imagine 7 years from now they will offer no cars powered by petroleum!
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Whittie
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Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
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It's not hard to believe, but it's hard to believe the date imo. Surely won't be that soon?
[Edited on 09-07-2008 by Whittie]
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willay
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7 years... if you look at the rate we are going now with electric cars in London and whatever, apparently the car shows this year (like proper grown up ones  ) are going to feature ALOT more cars based on biofuels/cell based energy..... but to have nothing but hippy ecofriendly cars in their line up by 2015! mmmm dunno how happy customers will be about that
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Jambo
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
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i cant see them removing petrol from their AMG cars, alot of people shopping elsewhere id imagine
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psycho sport
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Registered: 27th Mar 03
Location: Guildford Surrey Drives: Vauxhall Monaro
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quote:
Originally posted by Jambo
i cant see them removing petrol from their AMG cars, alot of people shopping elsewhere id imagine
if they can achieve better performance etc and typical awesome AMGness with alternative fuels, dont see why people would look else where, its a badge to been seen with!
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willay
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imagine the size of the batteries
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Mattb
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Registered: 2nd Feb 03
Location: Under your sisters bed
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quote:
Originally posted by willay
imagine the size of the batteries
Did you see that top gear where they got a g-whizz thing, added loads of extra batteries etc and it beat a new shape gt500 mustang up the 1/4 mile!!
[Edited on 09-07-2008 by Mattb]
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Paul_J
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Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
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Makes me laugh all this hype over 'electric cars'
If you read that article it says 'Fuel + Emmission free eletric cars are soon to be on the market'
.... Emission free out of the car yes... But where does the electricity come from??? OH YES  Emissions at the power plants.
Plus the fact that naturally if everyone drove an electric car, the national grid of eletricity providers could not cope.
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Brett
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Registered: 16th Dec 02
Location: Manchester
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Just makes me wonder, because all we hear is "turn your lights off after you", "don't leave the tv on standby" etc.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
Makes me laugh all this hype over 'electric cars'
If you read that article it says 'Fuel + Emmission free eletric cars are soon to be on the market'
.... Emission free out of the car yes... But where does the electricity come from??? OH YES Emissions at the power plants.
Plus the fact that naturally if everyone drove an electric car, the national grid of eletricity providers could not cope.
They generate the electricity from water/hydrogen, afaik merc aren't expecting you to go home and plug your S class into an extension hanging out the kitchen window.
It would also take about a day to charge up, totally impractical.
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Fro
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Registered: 20th Jun 06
Location: Rainham, Essex Drives: A3 2.0TDi Sport
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quote:
Originally posted by Paul_J
Makes me laugh all this hype over 'electric cars'
If you read that article it says 'Fuel + Emmission free eletric cars are soon to be on the market'
.... Emission free out of the car yes... But where does the electricity come from??? OH YES Emissions at the power plants.
Plus the fact that naturally if everyone drove an electric car, the national grid of eletricity providers could not cope.
cars have alternators which generate electricity, can't imagine it being hard to create one good enough to generate a larger amount of power to charge the batteries. Which in essence would be no pollution.
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John
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Registered: 30th Jun 03
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How do you power the alternator, it's not as easy as that.
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Fro
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Registered: 20th Jun 06
Location: Rainham, Essex Drives: A3 2.0TDi Sport
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I thought alternators are powered whenever the car is running and driving?
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Jambo
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
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The people buying green cars are not interested in saving the planet, well a few are but they are as stupid as the are foolish. Anyway the reason people are buying diesels and biofuel and electricity etc is because its cheap.
People wanting to spend £100k on a car are not going to be worried that petrol is £1.21 a litre. They will buy something else.
As paul says where does electricity come from? How is hydregeon made? all of these things do not solve fossil fuels and global warming etc.
As soon as everyone has an electric car or whatever the alternative is then they will become expensive just like petrol as thats how the governemnt earns money. Its all about the benjamins, captain planet is the last thing on their minds
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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But elecrtical energy can be made in an eco friendly fashion - Solar, Wind, Wave?
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mwg
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Registered: 19th Feb 04
Location: South Lakes
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Well Brown wants us all in electric or hybrid cars within the next 12 years and says the high fuel prices are for our own good....
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=557334&i=0
This post on the 2nd page cracked me up
quote:
It's true, high taxes are for my own good.
I just hope he realises that when I finally snap, and drive down there to smash him over the head with a cricket bat, with 6 inch nails through it, that it's for his own good.
What a to**er.
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Jambo
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pow
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Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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What the man with the BMW said ^^
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dannymccann
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Registered: 9th Aug 06
Location: Doddington, Lincolnshire
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Hopefully other big motor companies will follow this and put some money into researching alternatives, as its fairly obvious our government is stuck on wind turbines (apprently we need '0000s of them just to run street lamps or something???) and the greenies wont let us build nuclear plants and america is going to take years to change its attitude, if at all
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Ellis
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Registered: 11th Sep 07
Location: Aberdeenshire
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What ever happens i still think 2015 is too early
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Ash_EP3
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Registered: 15th May 07
Location: Melksham, Wiltshire
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Either way... were fooked
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whitter45
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Registered: 15th Nov 02
Location: Norton
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quote:
Originally posted by pow
But elecrtical energy can be made in an eco friendly fashion - Solar, Wind, Wave?
not to the extent that is required to power a nation let alone cras as well.
plus those resources are so expensive the payback is ridiculous and normally the kit will expire before its paid itself back
people are driven by cost and thats while at the moment renewable resources are not being used
I have loads of information as i work in the Energy field
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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It's not just Merc who are doing this. A lot of companys are committed to producing electric cars in the next ten or so years. In fact, it's likely to be law in the not so distant future that a lot of cars will need to be hybrid powered.
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Jambo
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
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i want a plutonium powered car 
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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New battery technology is not too far away which would make a car last for about 400 miles before recharging which is why all these companys are announcing this. If you can get 400 miles from a single charge then that's a real competitor to fossil fuels. Plus with a new load of nucleur power stations, you will have your plutonium powered car J-Dawg 
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