MBTech Shows Off Plug-In Hybrid Pickup Concept at IAA Show in Hannover

Daimler subsidiary MBTech has presented a 1:1 scale model of its Reporter concept study at the 63rd IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover. The four-seater plug in hybrid pickup truck with the Smart Fortwo-esque fascia was designed in just six months using CAD and digital prototyping.

At a press conference at the show, MBTech President and Spokesperson Werner Kropsbauer explained the rationale behind the Reporter: "We wanted to create a low-emission vehicle drive for urban and regional transport which is realistically feasible today and not in 2025."

Though the example shown at the IAA Show was merely a mock up, MBTech has been thinking about the drive system for a working prototype. The Reporter would use a plug-in hybrid system MBTech calls DualX E-Drive, which couples a 70 kw (94 hp) electric motor with a 75 kw (101 hp) 1.2-liter internal combustion engine that can run on either gasoline or compressed natural gas.

In the DualX E-Drive system, the electric motor turns the rear wheels while the ICE turns the front. The two systems can either work independently or together, though MBTech has not said what switching from FWD to RWD to AWD would do to the driving dynamics.

The Reporter is expected to have a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) and a combined range of 300 km (186 miles), which drops to 55 (34 miles) if using only the electric motor.

It also features a network of tiny solar cells on the tonneau cover, which produce 266 Watts – enough to power the air conditioning, interior lightning or the sound system (though not all three at once). The cells can also be used to recharge the vehicle's 12 volt battery.

By Tristan Hankins

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Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS: Petrol-Electric Hybrid Hints at Production Model

Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS: Petrol-Electric Hybrid Hints at Production Model

Mercedes-Benz will be presenting an updated version of its BlueZERO E-Cell concept car at this month's Frankfurt Motor Show. Originally presented in Detroit at the beginning of the year, BlueZERO E-Cell is propelled exclusively by a battery-powered electric drive that allows the car to travel up to 200 km or 125 miles on a single battery charge. The Frankfurt Show-bound 'PLUS' ads a rear-mounted 67HP 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine to the mix.

Sourced from the Smart Fortwo, the three cylinder engine is hooked up to a generator and is used exclusively to provide juice for the electric motor - just as in the case of the Chevy Volt. With this configuration, the car has a total range of up to 600 km (375 miles), of which up to 100 km (62 miles) can be covered solely on electricity.

The concept hatch is equipped with a high-performance, 18 kWh lithium-ion battery that can store enough power within around 30 minutes for a 50 km (31 miles) cruising range while the complete electric range of 100 km (62 miles) requires a charging time of a little more than an hour. Mercedes said that charging time with a standard charge cycle at a conventional household outlet with 3,3 kW is around 6 hours.

The BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS' electric motor that produces 100kW or 136 horsepower and a maximum torque of 320 Nm, drives the front wheels. According to 'das' Germans, the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in less than eleven seconds while the vehicle's top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h (93mph).

The 4.22-meter-long BlueZERO models are based on the sandwich-floor architecture known from the A-Class and B-Class. It is believed that the concept model will form the base for a production model in the very near future.

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