Mar 1, 2008 11:00 am US/Eastern
Mercedes S-Class To Get Hybrid Makeover
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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A worker at the Daimler AG plant assembles a C-class Mercedes-Benz car in Sindelfingen 25 January 2008.
Getty Images/Michael Latz/Getty Images
Daimler AG is planning to roll out a hybrid version of its Mercedes-Benz flagship S-Class luxury sedan that uses a kind of battery already widely used in consumer electronics.
Daimler said that it has adapted lithium-ion technology to meet demanding automotive requirements. Daimler said Friday the new battery will be used in the S 400 BlueHYBRID beginning next year.
"What we have here is a groundbreaking key technology that is going to be a decisive factor for the future success of the automotive industry," Daimler Board of Management member Thomas Weber said in a statement.
Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler's announcement indicates an increase in confidence about lithium-ion technology. Other automakers are working on lithium-ion batteries.
Toyota Motor Corp. said in December it was preparing to start mass producing lithium-ion batteries for low-emission vehicles.
Lithium-ion batteries, already widely used in laptops and other gadgets, are smaller yet more powerful than the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in gas-electric hybrids like the Japanese automaker's Prius.
General Motors Corp. is developing the Chevrolet Volt, an electric sedan to be recharged by plugging it into a household outlet. Plans call for it to be powered by an electric motor fed by lithium-ion batteries.
GM spokesman Brian Corbett said Saturday the Detroit-based automaker plans to make a major announcement Tuesday about hybrid technology at a press conference during the Geneva Motor Show.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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