By the middle of the next decade Mercedes-Benz wants its entire lineup to be able to operate entirely free of petroleum. The German giant is working on a variety of technologies that will help provide crude oil free transport such as battery electrics, fuel cells and highly efficient internal combustion engines that can operate on biofuels. Mercedes has recently been letting European journalists sample some of these new powertrains at a test facility in Spain.

The F700 concept that debuted last fall in Frankfurt is powered by a turbocharged DiesOtto engine. The DiesOtto is Mercedes' branding for a combined HCCI and spark ignition engine that provides nearly the same efficiency as a diesel without the need for the expensive after-treatment systems. This and conventional diesel engines can run on biofuels and Mercedes hopes to launch the DiesOtto in production by 2010. Mercedes is also currently field testing electrically-driven vehicles with both batteries alone and fuel cells each of which they also plan to launch at the beginning of the decade. While it may well be that all Mercedes models in 2015 will be capable of running petroleum free, the reality is that many - if not most - will still be using fossil fuels much of the time. That may come in the form of coal for electricity, natural gas reformed into hydrogen, or petroleum fuels blended with biofuels. But you have to start somewhere.

[Source: The Sun]

British environmental site Clean Green Cars announced a report that says that buying a hybrid does not have significant CO₂ advantage over an equivalent diesel. The report doesn't mention other tailpipe pollutants and doesn't say that hybrids are a bad thing themselves because they do lower gasoline consumption. It's just that hybrids are more appropriate for the U. S., where diesels are virtually unknown, than in the UK. Clean Green Cars also says that we have to wait for lithium-ion and plug-in hybrids to get real benefits, since it is these two improvements that will allow more drive time on electric power alone and will increase mileage, compared to modern hybrids which can barely move on electric power alone.

Clean Green Cars came to their results by performing a test that compared three hybrids with three similar diesel cars. The six cars performed a test that involved a round trip from central London to Brighton, which involved a mix of urban, dual carriageway and motorway driving. Their recommendation: Just buy an economical conventional engine. Find the results after the jump.

Click the new Mercedes diesel for a high res gallery

Sure, diesels are already widely available all over the world. One reason is that diesel engines are simply more efficient than gasoline engines. Consider the fact that a diesel engine is capable of running on biodiesel and green-minded drivers can make a strong argument in diesel's favor. Perhaps what is most important, though, is that diesel vehicles would require no major changes to the current energy infrastructure, meaning that diesel-powered vehicles could be one of the simplest possible ways to reduce the amount of oil that the world consumes. Holding them back, though, are costly exhaust after-treatment technologies that are needed to put the clean into clean diesel. Since these systems are less expensive than some of the rest of the items on our list, diesel engines fall right in the middle of the pack.

And so we move to Number 4.

Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche told Motor Trend this week that increased cost was not going to be an issue for his company to meet new fuel economy standards. Obviously getting improved efficiency out of powertrains would make them more expensive as they have to meet U.S. CAFE and European CO₂ emissions limits. However, while U.S. executives like Bob Lutz are talking about adding $5,000 or more to the price to meet 35mpg standards, Zetsche looks at it differently. The use of clean diesels, HCCI DiesOtto engines, hybrids and fuel cells will raise prices. The higher initial purchase price will be offset for customers through reduced operating costs. According to Zetsche, if the cost premium can be recovered through fuel savings in the first 3-4 years of driving than customers will be satisfied. Mercedes also intends to protect their ten percent profit margins through increased efficiencies in other areas of the vehicle. That probably means that Mercedes owners will give up some features for improved efficiency. Of course for a premium brand like Mercedes, it's a lot easier to talk about protecting margins than it is for mainstream brands like GM and Ford. Being largely rid of the burden of Chrysler probably doesn't hurt either. Finally Zetsche says an S-Class diesel hybrid will debut in two years with DiesOtto engines about 3-5 years out.

[Source: Motor Trend]

French motor magazine l'Auto Journal has published pictures of the prototype of the new C4 that is coming in 2010. Besides the new styling themes, which eliminate parallel lines, the new model is built on the same platform as the current C4 and with similar proportions. Interviewed by French newspaper Le Figaro, Christian Streiff, PSA's CEO spoke about the new technical evolutions in the new C4. There is a mild hybrid system (called a micro-hybrid) with the Stop&Start system and Streiff mentioned a full-time hybrid diesel for the mid-range models.

PSA, which is one of the world leaders in diesel powertrains, is also investing in gasoline powertrains. A downsized 3-cylinder turbo engine will be unveiled during the upcoming Paris Auto Show, along with the French marque's version of double-clutch transmission, which should be much less expensive than VW's. Check out the current model C4 in our gallery.


[Source: L'Auto Journal and Le Figaro (thanks to Dominique for the tip)]

We have featured lots of electric car conversions here on AutoblogGreen but until now there hasn't been very much in the way of hybrid conversions. Connaught Engineering, devisors of the hot little Type D hybrid (which should begin series production later this year) have taken the technology from their car and tweaked it to be retro-fitted to existing vehicles. An interesting proposition indeed.

According to a press release (PDF) on their website, Tesco is going to give the Connaught HYBRID+ system a go, starting with seven diesel Ford Transits. Over a period of six months, the home delivery vans will be tested thoroughly and if the results are favorable it is expected that Tesco will hybridize their entire Transit stable. Duncan Vavangas of Tesco is quoted as saying that the company is dedicated to reducing their carbon output and "transport is a key area and in addition to supporting new vehicle technologies we are keen to embrace affordable retro fit systems that save fuel and reduce CO₂ emissions on our current fleet of home delivery vehicles." Tesco can back up their commitment to new energy-saving vehicle technology with evidence from their use of Modec all-electric trucks.

The Connaught Engineering HYBRID+ system avoids the use of heavy batteries and combines regenerative braking with super capacitors to reduce fuel use by 25 percent. The system will be on display at the Commercial Vehicle Show in the NEC in Birmingham, England from April 15-17.

[Source: Connaught Engineering / The Commercial Vehicle Show]

We been hearing for several weeks now that Mahindra & Mahindra would probably be displaying their new diesel hybrid powertrain at the SAE World Congress next week and now we have official confirmation. Mahindra won't actually have a booth at the conference but will be on hand at the FEV booth. FEV is an engineering company that helps automakers develop their powertrains. FEV and Mahindra today announced that the two companies are working together to accelerate the development of a hybrid system for the Appalachian pickup and Scorpio SUV. The two trucks will hit the U.S. market in 2009 with a conventional 2.2L turbodiesel power-plant. The press release from FEV indicates the diesel hybrid will launch in Asia first. Global Vehicles USA, the American distributor for Mahindra has previously told ABG that the hybrid will be coming to the U.S. in 2010.

The hybrid system will be a full parallel hybrid utilizing a 30kW electric motor and 2.3kWh nickel metal hydride battery. FEV's release indicates that all the functionality expected of a hybrid will be on hand, including electric drive, electric boost, auto start-stop and regenerative braking. Mahindra CTO Dr. Arun Jaura will also be on hand and ABG will be sitting down to chat with him during the show to learn more.

[Source: FEV]

Peugeot may well be the first team to run a hybrid vehicle at Le Mans and it looks like it will be a diesel, too. New Peugeot CEO recently told the French paper L'Equipe that a diesel-hybrid prototype is currently under development and that it may make some trial runs as soon as this June at Le Mans. Collin also said the car would begin racing in 2009. Peugeot Sport team manager Serge Saulnier, however, is being a little more cautious, acknowledging that a diesel hybrid is in the works. However, Saulnier would not confirm when the car would appear in public. Peugeot has already shown several diesel hybrid concepts based on production 307s and 308s and has acknowledged that they are planning to introduce such a powertrain in the next few years. Toyota may also be making a return to Le Mans as soon as 2010 possibly with a gas-electric hybrid. Let's just hope they bring some of these cars over to the American Le Mans Series and really spice things up.

[Source: AutoWeek]

We are extremely pleased that Volkswagen was able to achieve such phenomenal fuel mileage and emissions numbers from their Golf TDI Hybrid. As a refresher, the machine uses a 1.2 liter three-cylinder diesel engine paired with a 26 horsepower electric motor and returns 69 U.S. mpg and 89 g/km of CO₂ emissions in the EU combined cycle. As we've reported, the car is slated for production in Europe, but what about the U.S.? Don't we need cars that deliver high mileage and low emissions here too? Of course we do, but the question that needs to be asked is whether American drivers are ready to pay for the technology required to make these numbers a reality.

The Toyota Prius has set the standard for what consumers expect from green cars, and it is priced rather well - less than $25 grand, well equipped. Diesel vehicles have never sold as well in the States as they do in Europe, despite their fuel mileage increases. This is due, partly, to the added cost that comes with a diesel vehicle in order to meet emissions requirements. Keith Price, a spokesman for VW USA says,"From a consumer standpoint, it comes down to 'What kind of compromise do I need to live with to enjoy all this wonderfulness?'" Price is one compromise that is hard to get around, as VW's diesels already cost about $2,000 more than gasoline models. Add in what the hybrid system will cost on top of that and the Golf... um, I mean Rabbit TDI Hybrid may price itself out of the market. We sincerely hope not.

[Source: CNN Money]

Diesel hybrids are popping up everywhere in Geneva this week from Volkswagen to Mercedes-Benz to BMW. One notable exception is Toyota. The hybrid pioneer has never shown a diesel hybrid and according to Katsuaki Watanabe, the company's president they have no plans to offer one. The problem lies in the fact that diesel engines are inherently more expensive than gasoline units and adding in the cost of a hybrid system would make them uncompetitive in terms of cost. Interestingly, most of the diesel hybrids being displayed in Switzerland right now are of the mild hybrid variety rather than the strong hybrid types that Toyota uses.

Mild hybrids have smaller less powerful motors that aren't integrated into the transmission the way a full hybrid typically is. They can be paired up more easily with different engines and transmissions. While they don't offer the potential for as much electric only running, they do provide electric assist and start stop functionality and at a lower cost. Perhaps if Toyota had a less costly (and somewhat less functional) mild hybrid system in their portfolio, they would be considering diesel hybrids. However, just because we haven't seen something like that yet it doesn't mean we won't. Toyota spends a lot on R&D, much of which is never seen in public until they are good and ready. Toyota certainly isn't shying away from hybrid technology in general.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]