BETTER PARTSWe launch a space ship one conclusion of the Paris Salon
We will launch a spaceship
That was a steep thesis of the otherwise restrained Daimler Research Board Member Thomas Weber times. He considers a bubble that will burst the hype around the Smartphone. "We were for the dinosaurs. Those who are soon"Weber predicts the Smartphone people.
"Why deal because in Silicon Valley everyone drive? "Because the cell phone no more hot or cool is." The new cool theme was the car. Is this whistling in the dark basement? More than two years ago, this motor show in Paris should provide answers.
The image of the garage is not only for the history of the automobile. It also applies to the beginnings of Tesla and the start of digitization in Silicon Valley. And it describes the radically new situation, in which automakers see today. No wonder that at the motor show in Paris not only two big German automakers to the "garage" confess and call for new thinking.
Volkswagen boss Matthias Müller in Paris announced that a subsidiary, which is to begin in the next few days exploring new business fields related to mobility and to rebuild. Mercedes-Benz brand has a name: "EQ" as shorthand for "Electric Intelligence". In Paris, the appropriately futuristic study of an electric SUV stood as a symbol for the new. The symbol of a new business called "CASE" - C for connectivity, comes A for autonomous S for shared and E for electric.
At BMW, you want to find a way with the new brands Bay "Performance E" socially acceptable to sell power. To see in Paris were matching power plug-in the. Sure, appropriate future projects to the new spirit of the times run in Munich. Also, the management will experience the success of Tesla as motivating. There are the moderate success of the electric products i3 and i8 little as consolation.
Zetsche rejected Paris "Verzichtsmobilen, which are rather like a cereal". For Tesla he has, however, even first a compliment ready: Elon Musk had followed a successful way by he himself said: "I offer an electric car, which represents a luxury device and addresses other topics." This works as long as the story with the buyers and investors wear. "This can end abruptly when the air goes out of the story."
Zetsche given the success of Tesla and the presentation of the Opel Ampera e with a range of 500 km in Paris acknowledges there are others who are now in the market before Mercedes-Benz. "I don't think but that which determines who plays what position in five or ten years in this field." Today, there are customers who say 'I want to do something for the environment' and that's why to buy electric cars. That mobilize but not the masses. "At the end of the day we need to raise enthusiasm among customers and penalize this enthusiasm not by too large price premiums."
How to avoid penalties for opting for an electric car for Mercedes-Benz, Research Board explains Weber when he says the electric car should move like a "well-equipped SUV of the type Mercedes-Benz GLC", which means prices around the 60 000 euro on same level of performance and price. "We're at the music at about 100 euros per kWh battery, including housing, cooling and all that." Then we're there, where today about the incinerator." This situation is reached, Weber expects a share of sales by Mercedes-Benz between 15 percent and 25 percent - approximately in the year 2025. so it's eight or nine years.
At the time, battery prices are still at 300 euros per kWh. But Weber predicts a rapid improvement: "We see an efficiency increase of 14 percent when the energy density per year on average in recent years," says Weber. "This means that energy intensity is doubled within five years." In the future, this development will accelerate rather. Prices for the battery detects Weber a similar development, which grow with the number of registrations of electric car in future will intensify.
Due to this rather predictable conditions, Daimler is first able to "concepts to think about, where we compare apples with apples", says Weber. "That's why we believe now we need to get started." Zetsche and Weber are convinced that the charm of an electric car of the future is not one-dimensional follow the drive. This is also the speed of innovation in the A and the C in the name of the new Division case at Mercedes-Benz which letter E. is crucial.
The completely new architecture behind the EQ study of Paris stands the will to build an all world car, but a car, "that a new generation of cars" starts, which actually only writable be just, if you are also a brand - EQ. For this new generation of cars, you'll define completely new standards. A vehicle family should - arising from the study so Weber-, which is based on flexibility, where you could change wheelbases and offer different ranges. The fascination with the new style cars should emerge as E, C and A link.
And in all the euphoria for the beginning of a new era - Weber: "We will launch a spaceship" – time for a compliment to the diesel. The transition to electric mobility must be designed, "and he will not go without diesel," says Weber. And Zetsche pointed out that today the simultaneous quick loading of several electric cars into the 100-kWh battery class would overwhelm many municipal utilities.
The matching networks need here; the appropriate laws are, for autonomous driving. And the appropriate products that can inspire the generation of Smartphone and the price with classical verb racers can compete in. Opel Chairman Karl-Thomas Neumann brought it to a point that many can share in Paris. "We can build not only cars that do not want to have our customers." Yet many in the industry in the Quartet game practice: who has the biggest reach? We know already from the past car fairs, where every once the high song of electric mobility was sung, usually without consequences for the manufacturer's model policy.
Also at the Paris Salon of that year that was seemingly no different: range, studies and announcements dominated the picture. And yet there was another setting. Apparently, the industry is now really ready to jump into the cold water of a complete reorientation. Important that two German companies with exemplary seriously embark on the way.
And the fuel cell? With the new batteries, the advantage of hydrogen technology for loading or tank time and reach, hoaxes recognizes Zetsche. First "if energy policy in the still open question of storing energy sees as answer" producing hydrogen, the fuel cell will interesting. "So that the fuel cell is not dead, and we will bring a number of pieces on the street - as announced-.
Weber has his own perspective, which continues into the future: "Perhaps this subject condemn all too soon fuel cell." Weber has his doubts about big cars on the long haul. The battery would weigh 700 kg and 800 kg. "Is this the sole way cars, which then weighs two and a half tons-?" Weber thinks more of the combination of clever technologies that could be seen after the current electric hype at a Paris Motor Show in the future. (ampnet/SM)