Mercedes' new electric car will have a petrol engine that is so special that it approaches the performance of a diesel engine in terms of efficiency, says the chief engineer.
Mercedes introduces a new generation of the model CLA, which includes both a petrol engine and an all-electric variant.
Although the model is based on Mercedes' MMA platform, which is designed for electric cars, they have chosen to develop a new petrol engine for the car. This is because customer needs vary from region to region.
The new petrol engine is a compact 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine integrated into a mild hybrid system.
Mercedes has deliberately chosen a four-cylinder construction rather than three cylinders to minimize vibrations. To save space, the motor's components are designed close together, and the electric motor, gearbox and inverter are combined in one unit. The starter has been removed and the electric motor is used instead.
The engine comes in three different versions with outputs of 136, 163 and 190 horsepower respectively.
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Despite future EU regulations that will ban the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, Mercedes still sees a role for petrol engines in its model range.
According to the chief engineer for powertrains at Mercedes, Karsten Krebs, the hybrid technology with the new engine has the potential to achieve efficiency approaching the level of diesel engines. The exact fuel economy figures have not yet been published.
That's what Autocar writes.
– We feel that we are approaching the efficiency level of diesel engines with this hybrid drivetrain, says Karsten Krebs
The electric version of the CLA comes with several advanced technologies. Including an 800-volt system that enables faster charging. Porsche was among the first to use the system in the Taycan model.
Charging can be done with an output of up to 320 kW, and the model will be available with two different battery sizes. The largest battery pack provides a range of over 750 kilometers, while Mercedes is working to optimize energy efficiency to a level of 12 kWh/100 km.
A special feature of the electric variant is the car's two-speed gearbox, which differs from most other electric cars.
It must contribute to increasing the car's efficiency at higher speeds. First gear is used at normal urban traffic, while second gear is activated at motorway traffic or when more acceleration is needed.
With the CLA model, Mercedes tries to combine the well-known properties of the petrol engine with a number of technological breakthroughs in that part of the industry. However, Mercedes does not develop the engine itself. Read more about it here .
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