Mercedes Plans Electric Car by 2010

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ^ | June 22, 2008 | Henning Peitsmeier, Susanne Preuß und Holger Steltzner

[T Ruth]

General Motors will den Chevrolet Volt schon 2010 für rund 30.000 Dollar auf den Markt bringen. Was wird ein Steckdosen-Smart kosten?

General Motors intends to market the Chevrolet Volt as early as 2010 for around $30,000. How much will a plug-in Smart cost?

Wir planen für das Jahr 2010 einen Elektro-Smart und für dasselbe Jahr auch ein Mercedes-Modell. Über den Preis ist noch nicht endgültig entschieden. Das hängt davon ab, ob wir die Autos mit den Batterien verkaufen oder ob die Batterien geleast werden.

We are planning an Electro-Smart for the year 2010, and for the same year also a Mercedes model. The price has not yet been determined. That depends on whether we sell the cars with the batteries, or whether the batteries are leased.

[T Ruth]

From an interview with Dieter Zetsche, the Chairman of Daimler.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but won’t we have to burn even more coal so everybody can charge these things? I don’t see how this is going to help the enviroloonies’ “save the planet.”

[kms61]

interesting idea to lease the batteries.

[Bobkk47]

How long is the extension cord?

[Spktyr]

Not if we switch to nuclear, which even some of the envirowackos are starting to endorse.

[T Ruth]

Its more about defunding the sponsors of terrorism. If we burn coal, we are not paying the Saudis, Iranians, etc. for oil; and as well, the price of oil will go down.

[JoanneSD]

That is what I was wondering.. as people live in apartments and condos that are 18 stories or so high.. do they throw out extension cord daily to charge the batteries..

[FlingWingFlyer]

The “courts” won’t allow nuclear power plants to be built in this country anymore. It doesn’t work with their agenda to destroy America.

[Spktyr]

True to some degree... but here in Texas, we’re *expanding* two of our plants AND the nutroots people couldn’t get any local support for stopping it in court.

[kms61]

I will be looking to buy a new vehicle in the not too distant future and am trying to decide which direction to go in. Hybrid looks interesting, because most of my trips are fairly short. OTOH I need a pickup truck, and they don’t seem to be as far along developing pickup hybrids. I’m leaning toward a diesel, on the hypothesis that biodiesel will really take off. Of course if my theory is wrong, I’ll be stuck with an expensive piece of driveway sculpture.

[rawhide]

I found the article a little hard to read.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I’ll be stuck with an expensive piece of driveway sculpture.

Talk about an expensive piece of driveway sculpture, we have a motor home decorating our driveway that has been moved twice in the past year. Want to buy a very nice motor home?

[CaspersGh0sts]

“I don’t see how this is going to help the enviroloonies’ “save the planet.””

If we transition to nuclear energy, this has to advantage: we minimize pollution and we get away from foreign fuel.

As things stand now, why not get away from foreign oil? I’d rather be burning coal than buying oil that goes back to funding terrorists and goes towards Wahabbi mosques.

[CaspersGh0sts]

Sorry, some poor editing on my part.

“This has two advantages:”

[Cobra64]

"... won’t we have to burn even more coal so everybody can charge these things? I don’t see how this is going to help the enviroloonies’ “save the planet.”

No silly, we just harness lightning. See...?

[Cobra64]

That is what I was wondering.. as people live in apartments and condos that are 18 stories or so high.. do they throw out extension cord daily to charge the batteries..

I've talking about the whole infrastructure and logistics for years. No one seems to listen or figured that out yet except us.

[CaspersGh0sts]

[bannie]

Is that the future?

[CindyDawg]

What’s taking Dodge so long?

[T Ruth]

It's all those long words. Never use a five-cent word when two fifty-cent words will do.

technologische Differenzierung und idealerweise auch eine Alleinstellung im Antriebsstrang definieren können

;-)

[T Ruth]

Your number 13: well put.

[CindyDawg]

I saw that one of them have came out with a hybrid mini van...called it an SUV too. I figure some environmentalists probably fell out of their chair.. lol.

[bannie]

Don't need a chord!

[CaspersGh0sts]

I'm not sure with Dodge. Here's the Cheverolet Volt that's due in 2010.

[CindyDawg]

I meant a 4 door Dodge Ram :’)

[CindyDawg]

Strange looking car. The front seems higher than the back. The tires even look a different size. A Johnny Cash car.

[cookcounty]

Europe is much more nuclear than the US (France is almost 80% nuclear), so the coal/carbon release would be much less.

[Redbob]

"I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but won’t we have to burn even more coal so everybody can charge these things? I don’t see how this is going to help the enviroloonies’ “save the planet."

But see, in Europe, they "burn" atoms, not coal, for much of their electricity: 70% of it in France, for example.

[Redbob]

If they’re planning an electrci 2010 model, that car must already be designed and running somewhere: in the auto industry, it’s already 2009, and 2010 is just about the day after tomorrow.

[kempo]

I don't want nothing that you have to fall down into and then climb up out of. I'm getting too old for that chet. I want something that is easy to get in and out of easily.

[Dr. Sivana]

I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer but won’t we have to burn even more coal so everybody can charge these things?

Plants in the US run on nukes, oil, natural gas and hydro-electric, among other things.

More importantly, the cars charge at night when demand is low.

Most importantly, an internal combustion engine is typically 20% efficient, a modern power plant of any of the above varieties *when applicable) is considerably more efficient. THAT's why the cost of charging the Volt with home juice will be less than propelling a similar car with gasoline. (The Volt does use gasoline to operate a generator on long trips. This design is MUCH better than the hybrids, in my opinion.).

[FlingWingFlyer]

Sorry I brought it up. It’s just that I live between two coal burning plants and the bozos around here are pushing “electric” cars that you just “plug in.” I know all about ALL THE NUCLEAR PLANTS we’ve got in America and that we don’t burn coal to produce electricity anymore except at these two plants I live between. I’ll just shut up next time.

[B Knotts]

FYI:

http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/industry_overview_and_statistics/industry_statistics/index.htm

49.7 percent of our nation’s electricity was generated from coal. Nuclear energy produced 19.3 percent. Natural gas supplied 18.7 percent. Hydropower provided 6.5 percent of the supply. Fuel oil provided 3.0 percent of the generation mix. Biomass produced 1.6 percent, while other renewable resources, such as geothermal, solar, and wind, provided the remainder of the supply.

[Travis McGee]

I’d love to swap one of my cars for an all-electric communter. If it went 40 miles on a charge and could go 40 miles an hour it would meet my daily needs.

[mimaw]

I'd buy a Prius in a minute 45-50 mpg. but I have a driveway about 1/4 of a mile and has a bit of an incline. I can only get up it in the winter with an SUV or a front wheel drive. It isn't worth it to trade my car for a hybrid SUV the gas mileage still isn't that great.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

When are they going to create a miniature nuclear engine for cars? If the US Navy can have nuclear-powered carriers and subs, why can’t vehicles? I mean, it doesn’t have to cars, it could be busses, tractor-trailers, semis, trucks, etc.

[Jeff Chandler]

If your trips are fairly short, just get a full-sized American pickup with a V-6 engine. They are dirt cheap right now and you could probably swing a deal.

[pankot]

Ausgezeichnet!

[Walkenfree]

I read an article about India developing an
“air powered car”. Will be on the market next year.
Will post a link to the article, when I find it again.

[aquila48]

“More importantly, the cars charge at night when demand is low.”

And how long will that stay that way once you start plugging millions of cars to the grid?

You will quickly see the price of electricity shoot up (just like you’ve seen the price of food go up with the push of ethanol), and since electricity is even more fundamental to our economy than oil, you will see the higher price impact everything - although the price of oil would most likely come down some.

BTW, I’m not against the idea, it’s just that it’s not going to be a panacea. And unless the rest of the infrastructure (ie new power stations, etc) is allowed to respond to the higher demand without the straightjacket that the government, the environuts and the courts have imposed on it, it’s going to fizzle.

[LZ_Bayonet]

"OTOH I need a pickup truck, and they don’t seem to be as far along developing pickup hybrids."

GM is. GM's two mode hybrid (21/22 mpg) is available now in the Tahoe and very soon in the Escalade. It is two or four wheel drive and tows 6,000 lbs.. The pickups can't be too far behind. It's the same mechanically and technically, it's just a matter of supply, production, marketing, and for you, how long you can hold off on a purchase.