Daimler Fields Electric Cars

by Bill Siuru
Large European cities like Berlin, Rome, Milan, Pisa, and London are ideal for electric vehicles. Thus, Daimler has instituted e-mobility Berlin to put over 100 battery- powered Mercedes-Benz and smart cars on the streets of Berlin by late 2009. Another 100 Mercedes-Benz and smart EVs will be deployed in Rome, Milan, and Pisa in 2010 with e-mobility Italy. A fleet of 100 electric smart fortwos have been in daily service in London since 2007.
Daimler is working with major energy suppliers in its e-mobility projects. In Germany it is RWE AG, Germany’s largest power generator, and in Italy it has partnered with that country’s largest energy supplier, Enel. RWE will install 500 charging points around Berlin that will be supplied with ‘green’ electricity and more may eventually be installed. RWE will be responsible for central control of the system. Intelligent and convenient charging points will be installed at homes, at workplaces, and in public areas.

Enel will develop and install over 400 charging stations designed specifically for the three cities. Infrastructure is a particularly important issue in Italy, where the majority of vehicles are parked in city streets. The fortwo EVs used in London are first generation ‘smart ed’ (electric drive) cars that use Zebra sodium-nickel-chloride batteries. EVs in Berlin and Italy will have lithium-ion batteries that are lighter, smaller, and provide both greater range and shorter charging time. Daimler plans to begin serial production of these electric Mercedes-Benz and smart ed cars in 2010.

Daimler and its energy supplier partners are developing convenient and customer-friendly interfaces between vehicles and charging points. The payment method is based on an exchange of data between an in-car communication system and a charging point. The objective is to make the process as simple and convenient as using a cell phone with fees that everyone can afford. The system is being developed with open standards so other companies can participate.

The project will also develop vehicle-to-grid power interfaces between the EVs and the ‘electricity filling station.’ Here, the on-board lithium-ion packs could store electricity when demand is low and feed it back to the grid when demand is high. This could be attractive with renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.

Daimler is planning further urban electric mobility projects in Europe and the U.S. and is also in talks with numerous companies to promote hydrogen infrastructure. In addition to battery-powered electric vehicles, Daimler regards fuel cell vehicles as having the greatest potential for emissions-free driving, also over long distances.