At the last Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced a concept car in three different flavours. All three share the same platform featuring a sandwich floor design. With infinite modular possibilities, Mercedes-Benz presented three new drive systems for its small "Sport Tourer" cars that fulfil the different transportation needs of their consumers.
The concept cars offer a number of advantages over vehicles built on a conventional platform. The interior space is maintained thanks to the integration of the mechanical components into the floor. Interior space is thus retained in full, with no compromises made in terms of available volume.
The sandwich-floor configuration improves handling while maintaining a very low centre of gravity. Crash safety is exemplary. The mechanical components are located between axles, so there is no danger of them penetrating the cabin in case of a head-on collision.
All BlueZERO models are front-wheel-drive, which is typical of the class. The first variant, BlueZERO E-CELL (in ALU-BEAM yellow) is powered by a battery-electric system and has an operating range of up to 200 km in electric drive mode only.
The second model, the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS (in ALU-BEAM orange), shares this technology but also benefits from the addition of a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine used in the smart fortwo in back. The small gas engine serves only as a power generator and its use is limited to recharging the batteries. The PLUS version has a combined range of over 600 km on a single tank of gas and can cover over 100 km in electric drive mode alone.
Both models feature lithium-ion batteries with a 35-kWh charging capacity and a compact electric engine producing a maximum of 100 kW (135 hp). Maximum torque is 236 ft-lb. With 30 minutes of charging time, the car can travel around 50 km. One and two hours are required to travel 100 and 200 km, respectively, using the electric drive alone.
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| All three share the same platform featuring a sandwich floor design. |
The concept cars offer a number of advantages over vehicles built on a conventional platform. The interior space is maintained thanks to the integration of the mechanical components into the floor. Interior space is thus retained in full, with no compromises made in terms of available volume.
The sandwich-floor configuration improves handling while maintaining a very low centre of gravity. Crash safety is exemplary. The mechanical components are located between axles, so there is no danger of them penetrating the cabin in case of a head-on collision.
All BlueZERO models are front-wheel-drive, which is typical of the class. The first variant, BlueZERO E-CELL (in ALU-BEAM yellow) is powered by a battery-electric system and has an operating range of up to 200 km in electric drive mode only.
The second model, the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS (in ALU-BEAM orange), shares this technology but also benefits from the addition of a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine used in the smart fortwo in back. The small gas engine serves only as a power generator and its use is limited to recharging the batteries. The PLUS version has a combined range of over 600 km on a single tank of gas and can cover over 100 km in electric drive mode alone.
Both models feature lithium-ion batteries with a 35-kWh charging capacity and a compact electric engine producing a maximum of 100 kW (135 hp). Maximum torque is 236 ft-lb. With 30 minutes of charging time, the car can travel around 50 km. One and two hours are required to travel 100 and 200 km, respectively, using the electric drive alone.
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| The interior space is maintained thanks to the integration of the mechanical components into the floor. |