Mercedes is going all out in making sure that they grab the green headlines and stay forward on the green path towards the future as much as they can. I am surprised that the car makers of such stature are doing such an amazingly wonderful job in balancing both the commercial and green interests. The company perhaps has realized that the future of automobile industry lies in taking the path towards electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. I am equally surprised that Ferrari is no where in sight in such a race and they are one of the two major players.
Mercedes-Benz says it will have a demonstration fleet of practical, if small, electric vehicles on the road in two to three years. These have nothing to do with the 100 Smart eds being shipped to Britain with the Zebra sodium-nickel chloride battery. It seems these babies will be equipped with modern lithium ion batteries Mercedes has described as a breakthrough. We have already talked extensively about the Li-Ion battery during the release of the Geneva Motor Show.
One of the reasons given by Vice President Herbert Kohler for building this Smart flotilla, according to the article, is to be sure the setup is right for mass production. This would mean that some of the best cars in the electric car segment would be available in the US market by 2010 and that really is great news indeed. The faster this revolution comes up, the better it is for a cleaner future. Mercedes surely is doing a fine job with the electric cars and the Li-ion batteries.
