Berlin (Germany) - Daimler, the parent company of manufacturers such Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Smart and Freightliner, has begun working with a utility firm RWE to install several hundred charging stations throughout the city.
Berlin will be receiving a charge from the “e-mobility Berlin” program that was unveiled by Daimler AG last week. The auto manufacturer said it is working closely with utility company RWE to get more than 100 electric cars on the city’s roads by year 2010.
The terms of the joint venture state that Daimler will provide electric vehicles from their Smart and Mercedes-Benz auto lines and RWE will install around 500 charging stations throughout the city. The scale of the project has not been described in detail, but 100 cars certainly indicate that this is a pilot and we are far away from any mass production.
It remains unclear which cars Mercedes-Benz will end up using. We are pretty certain that the upcoming Smart ed will be part of the equation (which, apparently will receive batteries supplied by Tesla), but there is no information on any plug-in or all-electric Mercedes-Benz vehicle at this time. The Smart ed will have a 41 hp electric motor, good for a top speed of 60 mph and a range of 72 miles.
Mercedes’ electric technology currently centers around the firm’s S400 BlueHybrid sedan, due in 2009 in Europe (the U.S. is likely to see this car in 2010.) The mild-hybrid will be powered by a 295 hp 3.5 liter V6 engine, supported by a 20 hp electric motor and a lithium ion battery pack.
RWE said that the 500 strategically placed electricity ports placed throughout the city will have the ability to identify individual cars and link them to their owners, so that the vehicle charge can be paid for using a credit card. The stations will also be equipped with “smart charging” and “vehicle-to-grid charging” features.
At the present time the partnership is solely between Daimler and RWE, but there is much potential here for other cleantech startups to jump on the bandwagon for this electric initiative.