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Mercedes-Benz engines with 48-volt systems coming in 2017

As part of a big green push announced yesterday, Mercedes-Benz is jumping into the world of 48-volt power. The company will launch a new family of efficient gasoline engines next year and will begin rolling out 48-volt systems with it, likely in its more expensive cars first. Mercedes will use the 48-volt systems to power mild-hybrid functions like energy recuperation (commonly called brake regeneration), engine stop-start, electric boost, and even moving a car from a stop on electric power alone. These features will be enabled through either an integrated starter-generator (Mercedes abbreviates it ISG) or a belt-driven generator (RSG). (RSG is from the German word for belt-driven generator, Riemenstartergeneratoren. That's your language lesson for the day.) Mercedes didn't offer many other details on the new family of engines. There are 48-volt systems already in production; Audi's three-compressor SQ7 engine uses an electric supercharger run by a 48-volt system, and there's a new SQ5 diesel on the horizon that will use a similar setup with the medium-voltage system. Electric superchargers require a lot of juice, which can be fed by either a supercapacitor or batteries in a 48-volt system. Why 48-volt Matters: Current hybrid and battery-electric vehicles make use of very high voltages in their batteries, motors, and the wiring that connects them, usually around 200 to 600 volts. The high voltage gives them enough power to move a big vehicle, but it also creates safety issues. The way to mitigate those safety issues is with added equipment, and that increases both cost and weight. You can see where this is going. By switching to a 48-volt system, the high-voltage issues go away and the electrical architecture benefits from four times the voltage of a normal vehicle system and uses the same current, providing four times the power. The electrical architecture will cost more than a 12-volt system but less than the complex and more dangerous systems in current electrified vehicles. The added cost makes sense now because automakers are running out of ways to wisely spend money for efficiency gains. Cars can retain a cheaper 12-volt battery for lower-power accessories and run the high-draw systems on the 48-volt circuit. The industry is moving toward 48-volt power, with the SAE working on a standard for the systems and Delphi claiming a 10-percent increase in fuel economy for cars that make the switch.

Mercedes out to defend its F1 crown with new W06 Hybrid Silver Arrow

They say there's only one way to go when you're on top, and that's down. That's the direction in which every other team on the Formula One grid will be trying to push Mercedes this season, but the defending champions will be doing their best to stay on top. What you see here is the embodiment of that effort. After taking pole position at all but one race last season, the checkered flag at all but three and an impressive dozen one-two finishes, the new Mercedes AMG F1 W06 Hybrid will have one heck of an act to follow. In accordance with the only major change to the sporting regulations for 2015, the most obvious difference over last year's W05 is the revised front end, but the team insists it worked hard over the winter to optimize everything underneath that silver and teal bodywork, from the suspension to the turbocharged hybrid power unit and everything in between. One of only two teams (alongside Ferrari) on the grid this season to develop its own engine in-house, the Mercedes PU106A proved practically unbeatable last season. And with engine development all but completely frozen in the off-season, its innovations are likely to prove just as insurmountable this year. But as team principal Toto Wolff puts it, in quoting Babe Ruth, "Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games." While nothing's for certain in one of the world's the most competitive arenas, chances are still high that Mercedes will continue to dominate this season just as it did the last. The most gripping battle, then, may very well be waged once again between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, whose rivalry started long before either got their start in F1, from karting and up through the ranks of the lower formulae. Though Lewis was just crowned world champion for the second time, Nico has been with the Mercedes team for longer, has been in F1 for longer and didn't give up on chasing Lewis all of last season – so don't expect him to this year, either. MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Gets Back to Work with the new F1 W06 Hybrid Silver Arrow Jerez, Feb 01, 2015 The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team today unveiled its 2015 Formula One World Championship challenger, the F1 W06 Hybrid, ahead of the first day of pre-season testing at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.

The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is pure electric excess

The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a two-door, two-passenger coupe that spans over 18 feet long. Everything about this car is more than you need. But isn't that the true definition of ultimate luxury? With so much sheet metal, it can be tricky to get everything to look right, but Mercedes seems to have done nicely with this concept. Overall, the car's long nose and short deck are reminiscent of the Mercedes-AMG GT, and the long, tapering tail and lights are similar to that of the Mercedes-AMG Vision Gran Turismo concept from a few years ago. Capping off the front of the Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a proud, prominent grille that the company claims was inspired by a pinstripe suit. At each corner are 24-inch wheels with transparent panels based on the transforming, aerodynamic wheels of the Concept IAA Mercedes previously showed. Powering this massive coupe are four electric motors that can produce a combined 738 horsepower. Mercedes says that will be enough to get the car to 62 mph from a standstill in under 4 seconds. The motors are backed by an 80 kWh battery that the company says can propel the car up to 200 miles. Perhaps more interesting than its range is the fact that the Mercedes-Maybach 6 can pick up a charge worth 62 miles in just 5 minutes, assuming you've got the right charger. This is technology that could really make a difference in the day-to-day practicality of electric cars, provided that it makes it to reality. The car can be charged either by being plugged in, or wirelessly with an inductive charging system. Inside, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 has even more fantastical features. It does retain analog gauges as a link to the past, but augments them with wrap-around glass trim that doubles as a display and touch-sensitive interface. The windshield seems to be pulled from Mission Impossible with its ability to display information. Sensors in the seats are designed to read the condition of the passengers and even their outfits to custom tailor everything from lighting to massage features. It's hard to say what the production odds are for this mega Mercedes, but you probably shouldn't hold your breath. Even for the rarified segment of seven-figure cars, this would be pretty extravagant. It wouldn't be impossible, or without precedent. Back when Maybach was still its own brand, the company created a ridiculous luxury coupe called the Exelero, and they sold the fully-functional car.