Constant optimization: Internal combustion engines are the mainstay of mobility | Daimler > Technology & Innovation > Drive Technologies

Constant optimization: Internal combustion engines are the mainstay of mobility

The first of three focal points on Daimler’s “road map” is the optimization of vehicles with internal combustion engine. Constant improvements and new developments are making gasoline and diesel engines not only more powerful, but above all more efficient and cleaner: According to a recent ACEA study, 100 modern vehicles produce less emissions on average than one single automobile from the 1970s. The diesel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles has been reduced by more than one-third.



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The first Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks and semitrailer tractors with BlueTec are delivered in January

With BLUETEC, Daimler has been offering clean diesel technology in commercial vehicles since 2005 and – in an adapted version – also for passenger cars since 2006. As well as reducing pollutant emissions, BLUETEC also cuts fuel consumption by two to five percent; this means up to 2,000 liters less diesel consumption per vehicle and year. This technology also constitutes the basis for compliance with the next stage of Euro 6 emissions legislation; and it is the key to our trucks’ and buses’ compliance with the stringent EPA 10 limits of the NAFTA states and JP 09 in Japan.



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Mercedes-Benz E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

In passenger cars too, Daimler is the pioneer of efficiency. The most economical model of the new-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class is now even more fuel-efficient: The C 220 CDI with manual six-speed transmission and standard ECO start / stop function consumes only from 4.1 to 4.4 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers (fuel consumption combined cylce)* – 0.4 liters less than in the past. This is equivalent to combined CO2 emissions from 133 to 117 grams of CO₂per kilometer (energy efficiency class: a)*. The world’s most fuel-efficient luxury sedan with internal combustion engine, the Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, offers the highest level of driving comfort and safety, but consumes just 5.8 - 5.5 liters per 100 kilometers (fuel consumption combined cycle, CO₂ emissions combined: 151 - 146 g/km, energy efficiency class: A)*.

Gasoline models that are just as economical as diesels – this is made possible by the new generation of BlueDIRECT six- and eight-cylinder engines, which since 2010 have been successively introduced in numerous Mercedes-Benz model series. The power and torque of these engines have been increased over the predecessor versions, while consumption has been reduced by up to one-fourth. In terms of fuel economy, the state-of-the-art BlueDIRECT gasoline direct injection engines from Mercedes-Benz have come another step closer to matching the diesel power units.

The targeted BlueEFFICIENCY measures enhance fuel economy – especially with the ECO start / stop function, which is already standard in many vehicles and which Mercedes-Benz will offer in more than 50 models across its entire product range as of mid-2011. In the commercial vehicle sector, too, Daimler is shaping the future of mobility with its highly efficient, clean drive systems: With its “CleanDrive Technologies” for non-pollutant drive systems and alternative fuels, Daimler’s Commercial Vehicle division is shaping the future of mobility.

Already today, more than 500,000 vehicles from all the corporate truck, bus, and van brands are on the move throughout the world with “CleanDrive Technologies.” They illustrate various approaches to the ambitious aim of the zero-emission commercial vehicle.

Along with the clean, efficient BLUETEC technology for diesel engines, low-emission and quiet natural gas drive systems are a further option especially in city traffic. Alternative fuels also have the potential to cut emissions and to reduce our dependence on fossil energy sources.

BLUETEC technology

This is the only exhaust component that is still inherently higher in diesel engines than in gasoline engines. For this purpose, AdBlue, a harmless aqueous carbamide solution, is injected into the exhaust stream. Ammonia is thereby formed, which reduces up to 80 percent of the nitrogen oxides to harmless nitrogen and water in the downstream SCR catalytic converter. More than 382,000 trucks and buses from Daimler equipped with BLUETEC are now proving their worth in the harsh conditions of everyday operation. A truck with BLUETEC, for example, emits about 60 percent less nitrogen oxides and 80 percent less soot particles.

The BlueEFFICIENCY package in all passenger car series

Daimler is grouping together measures for fuel consumption reduction in gasoline and diesel car models in so-called BlueEFFICIENCY packages, which will be available for 128 Mercedes-Benz passenger car models by the end of 2011. Depending on individual model series, the tailor-made packages comprise various measures within the engine and a combination of numerous technologies for reducing a vehicle’s weight. The BlueEFFICIENCY package also includes low rolling-resistance tires, optimized aerodynamics, and the ECO start-stop function as a preliminary to hybridization.

*The figures are provided in accordance with the German PKW-EnVKV and apply only to the German market. They do not concern an individual vehicle and are not part of the offer; they are provided solely for the purposes of comparison between different types of vehicles.