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Daimler, BMW partnering up on wireless charging

Plug-in vehicle advocates can get all warm and fuzzy about two Germany heavyweight automakers getting together for the sake of wireless charging. That's because Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW will work together to speed up development of a wireless charging system. While not a ton of details were divulged, we can still rejoice. Daimler says the system will consist of an on-board coil and another coil that can be placed within the garage floor or someplace similarly stationary. The system will charge at 3.6 kilowatts and with 90 percent efficiency. No details were released about the system's price or when it would be available, but Daimler shouldn't wait too long, since other OEMs are already talking about their own wireless charging systems. Daimler obviously has some skin in the game here, since Mercedes-Benz will start sales of its S500 plug-in hybrid in September. That model, which was first shown off last August at the Frankfurt Auto Show, can go as far as 20 miles on electric power alone and will get fuel economy of about 84 miles per gallon equivalent. And it's easy to imagine an i3 or i8 driver getting a kick out of never needing to touch a cord. This spring, reports sprung up that fellow German automaker Volkswagen was preparing a wireless charging option for its electric vehicles as soon as 2017. You can check out Daimler's press release below. Wireless charging of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles: PLUG IN HYBRID - unplugged One of the next steps on the way to perfect electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles is wireless charging. Daimler and BMW have now agreed on jointly developing and implementing one common technology. Wireless charging of the battery will make the handling of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles even easier. Mercedes-Benz will commence fleet testing of this "unplugged" technology with the S 500 Plug in HYBRID soon, in order to develop a real S-Class solution in recharging the high voltage battery in terms of comfort and ease of operating in the near future. The system consists of two components: a secondary coil integrated into the under tray of the car and a primary coil integrated into a floor plate that can be placed on a garage floor for instance. Electrical energy is transmitted contact-free without the need for a cable, at a power rate of 3.6 kW and with a degree of efficiency of 90%.

Lewis Hamilton accepts Vettel's apology, has 'utmost respect'

SPIELBERG, Austria - Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said he still had "the utmost respect" for Formula One title rival Sebastian Vettel after accepting a public apology from the Ferrari driver on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at a crowded Austrian Grand Prix news conference, the two men addressed a "road rage" controversy that has dominated the headlines since the June 25 race in Azerbaijan. "I still have the utmost respect for him as a driver and will continue to race him hard through the rest of the season," declared Hamilton, who said at the time that Vettel had "disgraced himself" by driving into him in Baku. He said Vettel called him on the Monday after the race and then texted an apology, which he accepted. The championship leader had driven into the back of Hamilton's Mercedes while both were following the safety car in first and second places, waiting for it to return to the pits. Vettel then pulled alongside, gesticulating angrily, before banging wheels. The German, a four times world champion, later accused Hamilton of "brake-testing" him by slowing suddenly. The car's telemetry subsequently showed that was not the case and Hamilton said the accusation was one he particularly wanted correcting. Vettel was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, and finished fourth. He was then summoned to a hearing in Paris last Monday where the governing body declared the matter closed. Initially reluctant to dwell on the matter, saying he did not want to "pump this up more than it is already", the Ferrari driver on Thursday repeated the written apology. "It was the wrong move to drive alongside him and hit his tyres," he said. "I don't think there was any bad intention (by Hamilton). I don't think he actually brake-tested me. I was upset and over-reacted. I am not proud of the moment." Hamilton, 14 points behind Vettel after eight races, missed out on victory in Baku after a headrest worked loose and he had to pit. He finished fifth. Before Baku, the two world champions had made much of their mutual respect and the budding "bromance" seemed to be back on. "It's nice to hear that we are able to move forward," Vettel said. "I think the respect we have for each other on and off track helps us in this regard." Reporting by Alan Baldwin Related Video:

Vettel steals victory from Hamilton in Australian Grand Prix

MELBOURNE, March 25 – Sebastian Vettel made full use of the virtual safety car to sneak in front of Lewis Hamilton and hold off the frustrated champion to win Formula One's season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Mercedes engine's infamous 'party mode' that delivered Hamilton a blistering pole lap on Saturday could do little once Ferrari's Vettel nosed ahead when re-entering from pit-lane midway through the race at Albert Park. Pole-sitter Hamilton had appeared set to coast to victory with a clear pace advantage but the race turned on its head with the safety car, which was called after Romain Grosjean's Haas failed and rolled to a stop at turn two. In another bonus for Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen finished third, fending off Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and leaving the unlucky Australian still searching for a first podium in his home race. "We got a bit lucky." Four-times world champion Vettel claimed a 48th overall win and his third in Melbourne following his victories at Albert Park last year and in 2011. "It was needless to say we got a bit lucky with the timing of the safety car," the German, who had started from third place and inherited the lead when Hamilton and Raikkonen had pitted earlier in the race, told reporters. "It's not the easiest track to pass." For Hamilton, the result was a bitter pill to swallow and had echoes of last year's race. Vettel also managed to re-enter in front of him from pit-lane in 2017 before burning away to victory while the pole-sitting Briton was blocked by traffic. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said his team had miscalculated the margin between the cars during the safety car period. "We thought we had enough margin," he told the BBC. "It must have been a software bug in the system that caused us to get it wrong. We are digging deep now to understand where we had a problem." "I don't understand what's happened." Hamilton, who cockily spoke of "wiping the smile off" Vettel's face with his pole lap on Saturday, battled to keep positive. "Even now I don't understand what's happened," the 33-year-old told reporters. "I did everything I believe I was supposed to do." After the pit-lane setback, Hamilton drove hard to reel in Vettel and battled back after taking a slide at a corner that blew out the lead to nearly three seconds. But he finally waved the white flag in the closing laps to preserve the car for future races.