Important Innovations

Vision Mercedes Maybach 6 Stars in New Warner Brothers Movie "The Flash" `                                                                                                                                                       Source:  Mercedes It's Batman's Car A fabulous looking Mercedes 2017 concept car, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, has been spotted on a movie set for the upcoming DC Comics superhero movie, "The Flash".  It's Batman's car driven by actor Michael Keaton, who is playing Batman/billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne again after a thirty year hiatus.  Warner Brothers recently was shooting scenes for the movie outside of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.  Batman's daily drive is the stunning Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept car and it has tremendous star quality. Magnificent Concept Now a Movie Reality The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is an outstanding piece of automotive vision and technological expertise.  The vehicle is 20 feet long an

   New, All Wheel Drive Versions of All Electric EQA                                                        Source:  Mercedes Mercedes Very Popular, All Electric Compact SUV Mercedes has launched two new all-wheel-drive versions of the EQA crossover.  The small, all-electric EQA 250 launched to great reviews in January and has wracked up 20,000 customer orders.  But it was only available with a single, front wheel drive, 140 kW drivetrain.  Now, all-wheel-drive versions of the EQA can be ordered.  Mercedes just announced the new all-wheel-drive versions.  Tech Specs The two, new all-wheel-drive versions are the EQA 300 4MATIC with 168 kW and the EQA 350 4MATIC with 215 kW.  The range on the EQA 250 is 306 miles, EQA 300 is 265 miles and the EQA 350 is 268 m.  The front wheel drive EQA 250 has a single 140 electric motor.  The two all-wheel-drive versions have an additional small rear motor.  Mercedes says the vehicles have "high power density, high efficiency and high power consis

  New, All Wheel Drive Versions of All Electric EQA                                                        Source:  Mercedes Mercedes Very Popular, All Electric Compact SUV Mercedes has launched two new all-wheel-drive versions of the EQA crossover.  The small, all-electric EQA 250 launched to great reviews in January and has wracked up 20,000 customer orders.  But it was only available with a single, front wheel drive, 140 kW drivetrain.  Now, all-wheel-drive versions of the EQA can be ordered.  Mercedes just announced the new all-wheel-drive versions.  Tech Specs The two, new all-wheel-drive versions are the EQA 300 4MATIC with 168 kW and the EQA 350 4MATIC with 215 kW.  The range on the EQA 250 is 306 miles, EQA 300 is 265 miles and the EQA 350 is 268 m.  The front wheel drive EQA 250 has a single 140 electric motor.  The two all-wheel-drive versions have an additional small rear motor.  Mercedes says the vehicles have "high power density, high efficiency and high power consist

  Electric Sedan EQS Based on Vision EQS Concept Source:  Mercedes-Benz Breakthrough Hyperscreen Germany based Mercedes-Benz has previewed its upcoming electric sedan the EQS, which is based on the Vision EQS concept.  The electric sedan is expected to be offered at several different price-points and functionality levels.  A top model will provide 435 miles range on a charge.  The car is so technologically advanced that with a wave of your hand, you can open and close the sunroof.  The most anticipated feature is the EQS' innovative hyperscreen. MBUX Hyperscreen The brain and nervous system of the car is the MBUX hyperscreen, which is a massive OLED display system.  According to Mercedes, artificial intelligence enables the system to continuously get to know the driver progressively better.  Based on the data, the system delivers personalized infotainment and vehicle operating choices.  The hyperscreen is housed in a single piece of curved glass with haptic feedback across the fron

   Small Electric Smart SUV                       Source:  Artist Rendering SMART Concept Car                                        Source:  Geeley SEA Platform Designed by Mercedes, Developed & Produced by Geely Mercedes Smart brand, through a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz AG and China's Geely AG, will launched a Smart, electric SUV in 2022.  This will be the first vehicle model from the new joint venture between the two global automakers.  Geely is the owner of Volvo and a top global manufacturer of electric cars.   Brand New Concept Mercedes says the new vehicle will be ultra modern, sophisticated, highly advanced in connectivity and the smartest feature of all - "it will be super compact on the outside and big on the inside."  The new e-SUV will be built on a new platform, Geely's SEA platform (scalable, electric architecture) which is flexible enough to handle many sizes of vehicles. Concept Debut in Fall 2021 The new concept car will debut in the fall

Mercedes-Benz & China's Geely Group Partner Source:  Mercedes-Benz Intelligent New Electric Vehicles Daimler's Mercedes-Benz just announced that it will build Smart branded cars with China's Zhejlang Geely Holding Group in the Chinese city of Ningbo.  The partners will operate from a facility with the capacity to build about 150,000 cars per year.  In 2019, Smart delivered 116,800 vehicles globally. $780 Million Investment Each company is investing $388.8 million into the Joint Venture. They'll build "premier and intelligent" electrified vehicles under the Smart brand name, which is a Mercedes-Benz brand.  They'll manufacture in China and have sales operations in both Germany and China. Mercedes Building Base in China China is the world's largest market for electric vehicles and the Chinese government is pushing and supporting EVs.  Like other global automakers such as Tesla, Stuttgart-based Mercedes is building a base in Chin

Mercedes-Benz Autonomous Taxi Fleet Deployed in San Jose, CA Source:  Mercedes Benz - Autonomous Taxiing in Style Level 4 Autonomous Driving Daimler's Mercedes-Benz and the German tech giant Bosch have launched a self-driving car project in San Jose, CA. They're using a fleet of 30 autonomous MB S-class vehicles as a hailing taxi service.  You might call it autonomous taxiing in luxury style.  The program just got underway and initially only a select group of users can hail the self-driving vehicles.  These vehicles are capable of Level 4 driving.  Level 4 is fully automated navigation with little to no human input or oversight needed.  Daimler is testing the vehicles for reliability and safety. Separately, Bosch just announced a breakthrough, less expensive lidar sensor that could accelerate widespread use of autonomous cars. (News details in my previous blog). Mercedes Car2Go To summon a ride in San Jose, the user connects to Daimler's Car2Go car-sharing servi

No Heavy Metals, Plus Rapid Charging, Cheaper, More Efficient, Good For Environment Source:  IBM IBM and Mercedes Partner to  Commercialize IBM has created a revolutionary battery that replaces the heavy metals in the cathode with 3 elements extracted from seawater.  They are also utilizing a  new type of liquid electrolyte.  It's a safer, more "ethically sourced" and highly efficient new type of battery.  The standard heavy metals used like nickel and cobalt are very harmful to the environment and pose humanitarian risks in mining.  IBM says this new seawater battery outperforms lithium-ion batteries in major respects. Already Going Commercial This battery invention has the potential to be a blockbuster and is worthy of being tracked by investors.  IBM says the battery can be optimized to surpass the capability of lithium-ion batteries in terms of lower costs, faster charging time, higher power and energy density, stronger energy efficiency and lo

MB Targets: 50% of Lineup Electric by 2030 Source:  Daimler Mercedes Benz Vision EQS Concept Unveiled in Frankfurt At the world's largest auto show, this week in Frankfurt, Mercedes Benz unveiled the stylishly green Vision EQS Concept electric S-class sedan.  The company is calling it the "Mercedes of Mercedes" at the vanguard of innovation.  The concept has two electric motors, a radical new design and a maximum range of 435 miles.  This is another example of Mercedes' commitment to have 50% of its car lineup electric by 2030. "Sculptural" New Design The Vision EQS has an elegantly simple, melted car smooth design.  There are no visible door handles.  The next phase in the design is to make the car "sculptural", meaning you don't see any lines.  Of special note is the lighting on the car.  There's a blue light belt that illuminates around the entire body of the car.  And, the headlights are digital, using holographic lens modules

Spied on the Road Source:  Mercedes EQS concept Mercedes Technological Flagship The Mercedes EQS Electric car is being called breakthrough Mercedes technology.  It's the next generation, S Class, 2021 fully electric vehicle that should be available for purchase sometime in 2020.  It will be the first car to use Mercedes' new MEA platform that is specifically designed for electric cars.  This vehicle is so highly anticipated that it's a big deal that it was spotted on the road in a camouflaged version as reported  by Car and Driver magazine. Camouflaged Source:  Car and Driver Magazine The specifics on the EQS are few but the vehicle is expected to have a 300 mile range and all wheel drive.  In the rear there's a hatchback and the interior will be open and expansive. The EQS will be branded as Mercedes' technological flagship.  So it will showcase advanced technologies including brand new, semiautonomous features.  No word on price or the exact date

Concept Vehicle for People or Cargo Source:  Mercedes Benz German Precision Engineering Mercedes Benz calls it the Vision Urbanetic.   The vehicle is autonomous, electric and unique.  It's designed to move either people or cargo, but not both together. People Mover or Cargo Mover Urbanetic runs on batteries and can operate autonomously.  There are interchangeable modules that go on top of the vehicle to transport either people or cargo.  The modules can be changed in a few minutes.  The people mover can accommodate 12 passengers.  There are 2 levels of seats, arranged in a circle. Loaded with Tech This concept vehicle is loaded with tech.  For instance, it spots pedestrians before they step off the curb into the street.  It's also connected to real-time traffic reports.  At the moment, MB doesn't have plans to bring it to market, but it is one of the most intriguing modes of travel innovation presented yet.  The vehicle was showcased by Mercedes at the Con

Travel Innovation - 6 Wheel Pick-Ups Mercedes Concept Being Developed  It's an iteration on the Mercedes Benz X Class Theme.  A 6 wheel prototype pick up truck.  Not your Dad's pickup.  But it very interesting innovation technology. For details go to my fellow journalist news blog at Important Innovations Collection: 6 Wheel Pick Up Truck Innovation : Not Your Father's Pick-Up Truck Source:  Mercedes' 6 Wheeler Pick Up Truck Exy Monster X Mercedes 6 Wheel Prototype Mercede...