2002 Mercedes-benz Clk320 Base Convertible 2-door 3.2l on 2040-cars

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Eight Mercedes Fuso Canter E-Cell trucks now in service

Portugal is far better known for its scenery and seascapes (not to mention some of its alcoholic beverages) than its place as a vehicle-testing center. But the European country is serving just that purpose for Daimler's Mercedes-Benz division and a new line of trucks. And they are of the battery-electric variety. Daimler has sent eight of its Mercedes-Benz Fuso Canter E-Cell battery-electric trucks for customer-trial purposes to various parts of the Western European country. And these customers include the Portuguese cities of Lisbon, Porto and Abrantes as well as delivery company Transporta. These entities will be testing trucks that have about a 60-mile single-charge range and deliver 150 horsepower. The trials for the trucks, which have 14-foot beds, will last one year. Daimler hasn't released a whole lot of details on further development or sales possibilities of the model. The hybrid version of the Fuso Canter debuted in the fall of 2009 and was under the Mitsubishi badge at the time, even though it was 85-percent owned by Daimler. That model is said to boost fuel economy relative to conventionally-powered trucks by as much as 23 percent. Take a look at Daimler's press release on the Fuso Canter E-Cell and its Portugal testing below. Zero emission and quiet as a whisper: eight new Fuso Canter E-Cell in customer trials Eight Fuso Canter E-Cell in real-life testing with customers for a year Locally emission-free and virtually noiseless Powerful, high-torque electric motor Battery capacity ensures range of more than 100 km Highlight of anniversary year for the Canter assembly plant in Tramagal, Portugal The drive system to suit: Canter Euro VI, Canter Eco Hybrid and Canter E-Cell The cleanest technology, whatever the application: Fuso is a pioneer of "green" drive systems in the commercial vehicle sector. The Daimler subsidiary in Japan is the home of Daimler Trucks' centre of competence for hybrid technology, and with this experience behind it, Fuso has also been responsible for developing the new battery-electric-powered "Zero Emission" Canter E-Cell. The first all-electric light-duty truck, produced in a small series, runs emission-free and almost silently. The Canter E-Cell for Europe is manufactured at the Tramagal plant in Portugal. Eight vehicles have now been released for customer trials.

2014 Mercedes B-Class ED battery much bigger than previously stated

There was something unexpected hiding in the new configurator for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: a $600 "Temporary range extender." Since we've never heard of such a thing, we had to click through for more. The official explanation runs like this: A suite of options to further increase your driving range includes added insulation of the doors and roof for to increase climate-control efficiency, along with an electrically heated windshield and a range-extending charge function. By pressing a button on the console prior to charging, the maximum charge level for battery will increased for the next charge cycle. The higher-capacity charge can provide up to 17 additional miles of range. The passive features that increase range should be standard in all models, we think. But we were more curious about the battery charge situation. How do you increase a maximum? And is it a good idea to do so? The configurator includes this disclaimer, after all: Range extender should only be used on a limited basis, and could shorten battery life if used excessively. How much is excessive? We investigate below. The B-Class ED has, according to the specs, a 28-kWh battery. First, let's understand what this "temporary range extender" is all about. The B-Class ED has, according to the specs, a 28-kWh battery. But Terry Wei, from the Mercedes-Benz USA product and technology communications department, confirmed to AutoblogGreen that the B-Class ED is actually hiding a 36-kWh battery, but the automaker is calling it a 28-kWh battery because that's how much energy capacity is used in day-to-day use. Most automakers publicly claim the actual capacity and then admit they use a percentage of it. The Chevy Volt, for example, has a 16.5-kWh battery pack, but a "full charge" only fills up around 65 percent of that. In the B-Class ED, the 28 kWh of useable energy provides an EPA-certified 87 miles of range. But, since there are eight kWh of reserve, the temporary range extender (we think of it as a software update accessed by a button) can access some of that and offer the aforementioned 17 miles. Now that we know what we're dealing with, this reminds us of an evolved version of the "remote wireless charging" feature that was touted in the Reva EV. Wei said that the reason the feature is optional is because Mercedes doesn't think most people will need it. Eighty-seven miles is plenty for your average EV driver, but when you want to have 100+ in the tank, you can.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class spied once again

As evidenced by how little camouflage the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been caught wearing lately, it can't be too much longer until the car will get its official debut. In our newest shots of the yacht-sized luxo sedan, the cladding still covers up the headlights, front fascia and most of the rear end, but we finally have an almost undisguised look at the rest of the car's lines.
Considering previous spy shots had more camo that better (or fully) concealed the S-Class' body, some of the more obvious things we see in these images include the prominent grille, the CLS-Class-inspired bodyside creases, the pointed trunk opening and, most interestingly, a lack of fancy exhaust outlets. Unlike other S-Class prototypes we've seen, this car does not have integrated outlets, but it does have two pipes on the left side of the car. All current S-Class models in the US and Europe feature a dual exhaust layout on each side of the car, so while some of our questions about the car get answered, it would appear that more are just arising.