Vehicles equipped with electric drive systems offer the best possibility for achieving zero-emission mobility. Obtaining such energy from renewable sources enables the energy balance to be improved even further. The electrical energy can be generated in the vehicle by fuel cells, a technology which is as environmentally friendly as it is efficient: this drive system technology is twice as efficient as internal combustion engines. Since 1997, when Daimler launched the first bus to use this drive technology in the shape of the "Nebus" (New Electric Bus), the fuel cell has proved itself through practical testing around the world in numerous vehicles such as B-Class passenger-car models as well as commercial vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban buses. Daimler now operates the world’s largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles.

After the fuel cell, the electric drive powered by battery forms the second major element of the zero-emission mobility strategy. An initial large-scale test program with 100 smart vehicles is currently under way in London. In the meantime, further initiatives have also been started in various regions, such as the „e-mobility Berlin“ initiative launched in September 2008, in order to put environmentally friendly, battery-electric vehicles and the supply infrastructure to the test in actual practice.