Mercedes aims to have its cars talking with each other and warning drivers of potential hazards ahead by the end of the year, with the company the first to deliver Car-to-X wireless to its range. Described as giving drivers the ability to “see around corners”, Car-to-X allows vehicles to send out localized warnings and notifications
There are plenty of electric bikes these days, but from time to time, one comes along that sets itself apart, like this one from Germany’s Smart. Smart is best known for their ultra compact city cars, but I’m impressed with this e-bike too.
The Smart Ebike provides 250 watts of power from its front-mounted motor, and can reach speeds up to 15.5 mph. It’s supposed to be able to go even faster when you use the 3-speed gear hub. Its chain has been replaced by a carbon tooth belt, which is supposed to be more efficient and last longer than a normal chain.
It’s been designed to work for urban travel. Its rechargeable battery can cover up to 62 miles on a charge. It takes about five hours to charge it up, and there’s also a regenerative system that will top off the battery when coasting, braking or riding downhill.
[via designboom]
There’s no question that the SLS AMG Electric Drive is faster than most EVs. However, Mercedes-Benz wants to prove that the car is fast in any category — and it just broke a Nurburgring record to underscore its point. Merc’s 751HP clean machine recently ripped through the track’s Nordschleife section in 7 minutes and 56 seconds, beating a production EV record set last year by Audi’s R8 E-tron. While that lap time won’t rival the absolute EV record, let alone those of faster conventional cars, it puts the electric SLS firmly ahead of its peers. That may be all that matters for buyers picking up their cars this month: when you’ve dropped half a million dollars on a new ride, some bragging rights are in order.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Daimler
If you’ve spent any time using a smartphone, you’ve likely come across QR code stickers, letting you redeem a coupon or get some snippet of information. Mercedes-Benz plans to start putting such codes in its vehicles, but for a nobler reason: making it easier for first responders to access injured occupants and remove them with as little effort as possible.
The QR code will be scannable by a standard smartphone or tablet with a relevant app, providing those who scan it a detailed “rescue map” of the model, including such things as where the airbags are located, electrical cables, the battery, cylinders under high pressure, the car’s layout, and other such information needed. This will let the rescue workers determine how best to access the vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz already provides rescue sheets in its vehicles, but says that most drivers fail to have them in the car, or place them in a spot that the rescuers can’t find. This requires the workers to attempt to determine what kind of make and model the car is based on a visual assessment unless a title or registration paper can be located. The workers then have to look up the appropriate rescue sheet for the car, which takes up valuable time and isn’t as accurate.
The QR code will eliminate all of this by allowing the rescuers to scan it and have instant access to the information needed. Such codes will be provided via two stickers placed on the cars, with one on the fuel tank flap and the second on the B-pillar on the opposite side of the first sticker. Such locations, says Mercedes-Benz, are rarely damaged together to such a degree that the stickers wouldn’t be scannable.
Because the QR codes point to a website that contains the rescue sheets, the manufacturer can update its sheets as needed so that information is always up-to-date. Says the auto maker, the stickers can be retrofitted, perhaps indicating it will make them available for models that have already been sold. Stickers will be included on all Mercedes-Benz vehicles starting this year.
SOURCE: Daimler
Mercedes-Benz to place QR code stickers on vehicles for first responders is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
We joke that most people don’t like QR codes, but those codes link to a lot of information through one snapshot — and Mercedes-Benz may just use that efficiency to save lives. The automaker is putting the symbols on vehicles so that emergency crews just need a phone camera scan for easy access to rescue sheets, which are schematics that show where to cut into a wrecked car when recovering trapped passengers. With such immediate knowledge, rescuers don’t have to wait for a model confirmation or else risk cutting wires and fuel lines. While we’ll initially see the QR codes only in Mercedes-Benz cars made this year and beyond (placed inside the fuel door and on the opposite side B-pillar), the company isn’t being selfish: it’s refusing to patent its method in the hope that every vehicle manufacturer will quickly embrace the technology.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: Mercedes-Benz
Real off-roaders are amazing vehicles, because they simply can get to places where others can’t. The Mercedes-Benz Unimog has long been the king of rally support vehicles, and has seen a lot of action all over the world. Daimler just recently released information on their newly redesigned Unimog line. This is probably the truck I’d choose to take on the zombie apocalypse in.
The Mercedes-Benz Unimog comes in ten different models, including entry-level models. Compared to previous models, these have a lower center of gravity, higher ground clearance, an axle articulation of up to 30 degrees, LED headlights, improved cabins with better visibility, and tire inflation systems letting drivers choose the right pressure for different terrain.
The Unimog is available with new Euro 6 emission compliant engines, including a 5.1-liter turbodiesel and a 7.7-liter turbodiesel. They produce power ranging from 156 hp to 354 hp. The Unimog has an eight-speed forward transmission, which includes a six-speed reverse. The gearbox is semi-automatic.
All of these improvements should help the new Unimogs conquer even more difficult terrain than ever.
[Motor Trend via NOTCOT]
These days, it’s not uncommon for automotive manufacturers to use LEDs to replace light bulbs for some of the lights on vehicles. This is particularly common with taillights. However, until now, all of the vehicles out there still use incandescent light bulbs for some needs, particularly in the headlights and interior. Mercedes-Benz has announced that its new S-Class is the first car to use not one single traditional light bulb.
Everything from the tail lights to the headlights and every light on the interior of the high-end S-Class will use LEDs. Each headlight has 56 individual LEDs, each taillight uses 25 LEDs, and there are about 300 LEDs on the interior of the vehicle.
Another very impressive bit of tech is a suspension system that is able to scan the road ahead and prepare for any coming road imperfections for a smoother ride. The car also has a pair of 12.3-inch displays on the dash giving the vehicle one of the largest dashboard video displays of any car on the road. The left video screen is for vehicle instruments and the right is for the infotainment system.
One detail Mercedes didn’t offer was exactly how much the S-Class will cost. Considering that the vehicle is aiming at people who previously purchased incredibly expensive Maybach luxury cars, the new S-Class will undoubtedly be exceptionally expensive.
[via USA Today]
Plutocrats and CEOs, your new ride is here. Mercedes-Benz has finally taken the wraps off of the new 2014 S-Class, and as you might expect it’s a cacophony of brand new tech, luxury fittings, more intelligent driving-aids than just about anything else on the road, and even a nod to fuel-efficiency and the environment. Set to hit dealers in September, the well-appointed four door is the first car not to feature a single traditional light bulb – everything is lit up by nearly 500 LEDs – and can even squirt non-lingering perfume through the cabin to “individualize the smell of the interior.”
Initially, four variants of the new car will be offered: the S400 HYBRID, S500, S350 BlueTEC and S300 BlueTEC HYBRID. Power ranges from 204HP to 455HP, depending on engine, with the S500 managing the 0-62mph dash in 4.8s. The S300 BlueTEC HYBRID is the most eco-friendly, with a 115g/km CO2 output and up to 53mpg (US); Mercedes will soon release an S500 Plug-In Hybrid model, too. All have adaptive damping air-suspension as standard, but the V8 S500 can be fitted with Road Surface Scan and Magic Body Control, which cooks up new suspension settings on-the-fly after tracking the condition of the upcoming road surface using stereo cameras on the front of the car.
That’s not the only geekery Mercedes has indulged in. Lashings of aluminum mean the body is stiffer than the outgoing model, and the PRE-SAFE feature now automatically brakes when it spots pedestrians in the way, avoid whiplash by using the brakes when the stationary car is hit from the rear, and even use the seat belts to pull front-seat occupants out of the way of an impact. In the back, there are inflatable belt straps and motorized tightening systems to make sure passengers are getting the full benefit.
The new S-Class can’t quite do away with the driver altogether, but it’s getting close. Distronic Plus can take control of the steering and accelerator/brake, navigating lanes and following other vehicles, while active lane-keeping assistance makes sure the car stays where it should be. The brake-assist system now tracks crossing traffic and pedestrians, augmenting braking force as required, while Night View Assist Plus shows thermal views of the dark streets ahead, highlighting anything in the road. Sensors all round the car are networked together, so that they can react more intelligently.
Mercedes S-Class safety and driving features:
Inside, meanwhile, there’s new wood, metal, and pearl-effect paint finishes, and the option of “First Class Rear” seating in the back which adds folding tables, phones, and other office-on-the-go kit. There’s more space both in the front and the rear, and a whole lot more tech: two 8:3 aspect, 12.3-inch LCD TFT screens on the dashboard for dynamic instruments and infotainment, with a touch-sensitive phone keypad, user-assignable keys for commonly-tweaked features, and the option to have text messages and emails read out. The new S-Class can also be controlled via voice, with the updated system recognizing full addresses in one go, rather than needing ZIP code, city, and street details spoken individually.
Various seat options are available to choose from, and they can massage you – with 14 separately-controlled air cushions, with optional warming – and actively cool you. In the long-wheelbase version, which Mercedes says it developed first since the car is expected to be a particularly big hit with chauffeured passengers in the Asia market – there’s the option of the largest backrest-reclining seats in the industry, no less.
Mercedes S-Class interior:
As for entertainment, the standard kit has ten speakers and uses woofers embedded in the firewall to resonate through the chassis; that reduces door bulk and improves sound. Options include a Burmester Surround Sound system, and an even more expensive Burmester 3D Surround Sound version with up to 24 speakers in total. If you’re using the navigation system, you can show a Google Maps route on front and rear displays, complete with live traffic overlays.
Mobile TV and DVD are offered, as well as AM, FM, and DAB radio, and there’s the ability to make mixed-media playlists of music and video. Bluetooth audio is supported, and there are two USB inputs, Gracenote track data identification, the ability to view photos stored on USB or SD card, and WiFi hotspot functionality. In fact, the whole new COMAND Online system Mercedes has used is now powered by an Intel Atom chip, and the driver and front passenger can see different views – such as navigation and TV – on the same central display, using a split-view system.
Mercedes S-Class video overview:
Unsurprisingly, none of this comes cheap. The new 2014 S-Class will be priced from €79,789.50 ($102,600) in Europe for the S350 BlueTEC short-wheelbase diesel, while the S500 long-wheelbase will close out the top of the initial range at €107,635 ($138,500); US pricing is yet to be confirmed, and of course there’ll be an encyclopedia-length options list to gush more money onto.
2014 Mercedes S-Class revealed (and it’s a tech-monster) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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