Have you ever traveled around with a plug adapter for different wall sockets? The need for a car version of these adapters, albeit in a much larger scale, is what BMW's Klaus Draeger and Daimler's Thomas Weber discussed at the 2008 World Automotive Congress of FISITA, the international association of automotive engineers. Both said that the EV technology, vital if we want to curb CO₂ emissions, could be so expensive that single automakers might not be able to cope with its cost. They also called for industry-wide component standards for suppliers early in the research and development phases to prevent duplication of effort for major components such as electrical vehicle batteries. FISITA itself, like the IEEE for the electronic industry, could be an ideal framework for the harmonization of pollution regulations and technical standards.

[Source: Automotive News Europe (subs. req'd)]

We recently confirmed the rumor that, yes, Mercedes is planning on building an electric car or two and now some of the details are starting to be firmed up. In an interview with German business daily, WirtschaftsWoche, Thomas Weber, a Mercedes board member responsible for research and vehicle development, let it be known that the company is building what was originally meant to be the fuel cell-powered A-Class (and possibly B-Class) as an all-electric model. Because of its "sandwich" construction and pre-existing electric drivetrain, these cars should be the first to join the electric Smart in the e-Mercedes lineup.

Another magazine, Automobilwoche, as well as reporting 2010 as the year of the e-Mercedes arrival, states that the supplier of the battery for the cars would be none other than the American firm Tesla Motors. The source of their information was not revealed and since this has not been officially stated by either company, it's still somewhat speculative. We know from talking with Tesla's Elon Musk that something is going on between them and Mercedes and it's definitely not a motor for the Whitestar, since Musk made it clear that Tesla products will remain gasoline-free. We also know that Daimler claims to have solved the thermal issues associated with lithium ion batteries of a certain chemistry by integrating battery cooling systems with that of the car. Then again, Continental has already been named a battery supplier for the Mercedes S 400 hybrid. If you care to enter into the supplier speculation sweepstakes, hit us up in the comments section.

Source: WirtschaftsWoche / Wall Street Journal]

Over past two decades motor vehicles have gotten hundreds of new features and amenities and made big advances in safety in performance. Unfortunately all those cool stability controls, big brakes, air bags, rear seat entertainment systems, heated seats and on and on and on, have one thing in common: weight. Every one of those cool features adds mass. And since Force = Mass * Acceleration (at least at speeds well below the speed of light, but this isn't Physics III so we won't go there today), more mass means more force is required to maintain acceleration. Mass is the enemy of efficiency, performance and to some extent safety.

AutoWeek has an interview with DCX board member in charge of R&D Thomas Weber about climbing vehicle weights. Weber wants to halt the seemingly inexorable climb in vehicle weight, which is particularly difficult as we move to alternative power-trains. Batteries are heavy, even lithium ion types. According to Weber, weights have climbed between one-half of 1 percent and 1 percent per year. Some manufacturers have made progress on some vehicles, such as the latest generation of Jaguar XJ, which dropped several hundred pounds thanks to a switch from steel to aluminum construction. Of course that adds cost, so we will have to pay in some way. Go check out the interview at the Read Link.

[Source: AutoWeek]