Additional Resources

Powering Up Hybrids

By Thomas Content

Mercedes announced two versions of the hybrid luxury sedans, the S400 due in 2009 that would run on the battery and gasoline, and an S300 version, planned for 2010, that would be a hybrid diesel. The S400 would get 29.8 miles per gallon, while the hybrid diesel would get 43.6 mpg, according to Mercedes-Benz.

That high fuel economy, Mercedes claims, would mean the S300 would emit 30% less carbon dioxide per mile than any luxury sedan in the world.

The gasoline version of the S400 sedan will be the first hybrid available from a German car-maker. It also is believed to be the first using a lithium ion battery, a lighter and more efficient battery than the kind found in hybrids now on the road.

The auto industry is under increasing pressure to demonstrate its ability to make vehicles that burn less gasoline and reduce emissions, and other automakers have been active at the Frankfurt auto show with announcements of clean-diesel, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles that they plan to produce in the coming years. Click here to read the full story.