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Mercedes-Benz is completing its range of EQ Power models in the compact-car family with the third-generation hybrid drive system.
The vehicles belonging to the German carmakers compact car family feature transversely mounted engines. A compact hybrid traction head has been developed for the 8G-DCT dual clutch transmission which follows the same technical principles as the corresponding component on the vehicles with a longitudinally installed engine.
The stator is permanently integrated in the traction head housing, while the low-loss wet clutch is incorporated in the motor’s rotor. On-demand stator and rotor cooling allow use of the electric motor’s peak and continuous output without any problems.
For the first time on a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, the combustion engine is started by the electric motor – the compact hybrids do not have a separate 12-volt starter.
The electric machine achieves 75kW. Together with the 1.33ltr four-cylinder engine, this produces a system output of 160kW (218hp) and a system torque of 450Nm. Thanks to the EQ Power of the electric motor, these vehicles respond to the accelerator very rapidly and deliver impressive performance: the A 250 e (combined fuel consumption 1.5-1.4 l/100 km, combined CO2 emissions 34-33g/km, combined electrical consumption 15.0-14.8 kWh/100 km), for example, requires 6.6 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, and its top speed is 235km/h.
The new compact models can be charged with alternating current or direct current. A corresponding vehicle socket is located in the right-hand side wall of the vehicles. The batteries are supplied by the wholly owned Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE. The high-voltage battery is water-cooled and weighs approximately 150kg.
Also, the compact vehicles are equipped with third-generation plug-in technology. Its functions include in particular the intelligent, route-based operating strategy, taking factors such as navigation data, speed limits and route into account.
With the launch of MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) the previous plug-in operating modes of all EQ Power models have been converted to drive programmes. That means that in every Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid the new drive programmes – Electric and Battery Level – are available. Maximum e-performance can be experienced in Electric. The combustion engine is only engaged if the driver uses kick-down on the accelerator pedal. In the Electric programme, the energy recovery level can also be selected via paddles behind the steering wheel. Comfort, ECO and Sport modes are also available. One important comfort feature is the pre-entry climate control prior to starting a journey, which can also be activated conveniently by smartphone. The towing capacity of the compact hybrids is impressive at 1,600kg (braked)
For further details about Mercedes-Benz, visit www.mercedes-benz.com.
