New Peugeot SUVs jump to modular platform, increase composites use

PSA Peugeot Citroën used the 2016 Paris Motor Show for the public launch of the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 models, now re-defined as SUVs. The 3008 accommodates five passengers while the larger 5008 offers seven seats in three rows. Both models use the PSA Efficient Modular Platform 2 (EMP2), already employed on a number of the automaker's models including the recently revised Citroën C4 Picasso and C4 Grand Picasso, the Peugeot 308 C-segment model and the recently launched Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy cargo vans.
The flexible EMP2 can be extended by adding 55-mm (2.1-in) extensions to the rear section of the platform. Bertrand Clergeot, 5008 SUV Project Director, explained: "From a structural point of view we have the front part and what we call the rear synthesis. The rear synthesis is the part that can accept extensions, so enables the wheelbase to be adjustable."
Clergeot noted that the front section is common with the 308, 3008, 5008, 308 SW and Citroën C4 Picasso. The rear section is modular. The construction enabled the 5008 to have nearly the same wheelbase as the C4 Picasso.
The idea behind the 55-mm extensions is that they give the engineering and design teams flexibility to match the wheelbase as closely as possible to their needs while keeping the vehicle's overall length within European C-segment parameters. So the 5008 wheelbase represents three extensions more than the wheelbase of the 3008 and 4008, the latter built specifically for the Chinese market. It has one extension more than the 3008.
PHEV coming in 2019
PSA’s Grip Control driveline provides improved traction on different terrains for front-wheel-drive models and now includes a hill descent control feature. "We’ve left the 4x4 systems because they are heavy and have high fuel consumption. I think that’s not the trend today," Michel asserted.
As on the previous model there will be a hybrid variant that will provide all-wheel-drive through an electrically-driven rear axle. 5008 models will not be offered with a hybrid powertrain, because of the packaging difficulties of accommodating a third row of seats and a hybrid battery pack. PSA engineers are working on a plug-in hybrid version, which will be available in 2019, Michel said.
Weight reduction was one of the key program objectives of the new 3008 SUV according to Project Director Frank Michel. “We worked on new steels and new materials, to save thickness and save weight, including more aluminum and composite materials at the very beginning," he told Automotive Engineering. "This means that when we started to design the parts, we decided how much each part was supposed to weigh.”
As a result, up to 100 kg (220 lb) was saved compared with the previous model. Mass-reduction measures include using aluminum for the hood and front fenders, which meant that the hood stamping tooling needed careful design to ensure the sharp creases in the hood outer were well defined. Peugeot engineers also saved mass using composite parts.
“We optimized the thickness of the floor,” said Michel. Part of the EMP2 platform involves composite material in the floor. He said the car's composite liftgate is the company's “third or fourth experience" with engineering composites in this application, in the ongoing quest to reduce vehicle mass by "100 g here and 100 g there."
Peugeot worked with Michelin on a new low rolling-resistance tire design, which Michel described as "tall and narrow", for the car.
New interior materials were chosen for the 3008, but Michel noted that it is difficult to find companies that can produce materials on the scale needed for car production. “We were involved in very specific activities to produce these new materials on an industrial scale,” he commented.
Source: http://articles.sae.org/15047/

2017 Nissan Rogue adds hybrid system with EV-only mode

Nissan gives its Rogue compact crossover utility a hybrid-electric powertrain option for model year 2017, boosting the estimated fuel efficiency of the front-drive model to 33 mpg city/35 highway and that of the all-wheel-drive version to 31 mpg city/34 highway. That’s an increase of approximately 5 mpg combined city/highway for both the FWD and AWD hybrids versus the standard Rogue.
“The CUV segment is on fire in the U.S. and that’s why we’re putting a lot of emphasis on this segment,” said Ty Webb, Senior Manager of Rogue Marketing for Nissan North America. He said Rogue is poised to become Nissan’s top-selling model, overtaking the Altima midsize sedan.
Rogue Hybrid provides a full EV mode, unlike the milder hybrid systems on the 2014 MY Pathfinder, which ceased production in 2015, and the current midsize Murano CUV.
“The electric-only mode on the Rogue Hybrid automatically engages when the vehicle is coasting at highway speeds up to 75 mph, and for a short time during speeds up to 25 mph,” according to Motohisa Terada, Manager of Electric Powertrain Project Group for Nissan Motor Co. based in Kanagawa, Japan.
Terada and other Nissan technology product experts spoke with Automotive Engineering during a recent ride-and-drive program. While the conventionally-powered 2017 Rogue is powered by a 170 hp (127 kW) 2.5-L gasoline I4, the new Hybrid model features a 2.0-L 4-cylinder gasoline engine generating 141 hp (105 kW) at 6000 rpm and 144 lb•ft (195 N•m) at 3600 rpm combined with a 30-kW (40-hp) e-motor for a combined system rating of 176 hp (131 kW).
Packaging the battery
The Rogue Hybrid driveline uses Nissan’s one-motor/two-clutch Intelligent Dual Clutch Control system in which a wet clutch is located in the traditional torque-converter space between the engine and e-motor and a dry clutch is fitted between the motor and the JATCO-supplied Xtronic CVT. The dry clutch is used only to start-stop the engine. The overall system design allows the engine and e-motor to operate flexibly and offer the electric-only mode depending on load and driving situations.
A Hitachi-supplied 56-cell lithium-ion battery pack is located under the cargo deck, resulting in a slightly higher floor height. That height difference means the standard Rogue’s 18-configuration Divide ‘N Hide cargo system isn’t part of the hybrid vehicle’s cargo bay.
In addition, the second-row seat in the hybrid vehicle doesn’t have 9-in (229 mm) of seat travel like the standard Rogue, according to Brian Wilson, Nissan North America’s Product Planning Department Manager for Nissan Vehicles.
“Battery packaging didn’t affect the cargo area," Wilson said, noting that both the standard and the hybrid Rogue have more than 61 ft3 of stowage space behind the first seating row.
Electric A/C system
Rogue Hybrid’s electric A/C system is an application-first for a Nissan vehicle in North America. Said Terada, “If we used a mechanical A/C system, the A/C would stop during engine idle when the stop/start technology is activated. With the electric system, the flow of cool air isn’t interrupted when the Rogue Hybrid is in an idle stop/start mode.”
Paul Cullen, drivability engineer at Nissan’s Arizona Testing Center, said both the standard hybrid versions of Rogue have similar acceleration G-force curves. “The tuning of the powertrain is not a mirror image between the standard and hybrid Rogue, but the performance will feel similar to a driver,” Cullen said.
Rogue Hybrid’s high-output Li-ion battery pack charges and discharges quickly, contributing to high-speed, precise control of the electric motor and optimum clutch control as well as enabling quiet and quick acceleration, according to engineers.
“We have a great hybrid vehicle that has a nice balance of performance and fuel economy as well as a seamless transition between the electric-only mode and the ICE-only mode,” Cullen said.
Pricing will be announced closer to Rogue Hybrid’s production launch in late 2016. The warranty for the battery pack and inverter unit covers 8 years or 100,000 miles.
Source: http://articles.sae.org/15045/

Mazda's 2017 G-Vectoring Control brings dynamic refinement

Spend time with Mazda's talented vehicle-dynamics engineers as they fine-tune a new model before production release and you may hear the Japanese term jinba ittai—the concept of driver and car (more literally, horse and rider) as one. And that concept was very much at play during development of the automaker's latest technology for improving steering response, smoothness and precision.
It's called G-Vectoring Control (GVC), a name that is a bit of a misnomer. It is not a torque-vectoring system aimed at dramatically improving race-circuit lap times. Rather, the purpose of the system is to endow the vehicle with refined and natural smoothness in normal day-to-day driving environments.
To hear Daisuke Umetsu, Mazda's 35-year-old development leader explain it, "Longitudinal acceleration is modulated in response to lateral jerk for harmonious G transition. The GVC control applies minute, almost imperceptible longitude deceleration, less than 0.05 g—far less than normal engine braking—sensing two input sources: steering input angle and vehicle velocity.” He says the resulting system, standard on the 2017 Mazda3 (Axela in Japan) and Mazda6 (Atenza) and expected to spread to other models, is designed to provide "peace of mind."
Controller integrated with PCM
A simpler explanation is that GVC, co-developed with Hitachi Automotive and Kanagawa Institute of Technology, closely monitors the speed of steering-wheel inputs then signals the engine to reduce torque to a minute degree. The resulting deceleration, hardly perceptible to the driver and without drama, delicately loads the front axle and thus tightens up compliance in the car's steering and front suspension.
Umetsu likens the function to that of the top expert drivers, citing the example of the legendary Yoshimi Katayama, who drove various Mazda works racing cars at Le Mans and elsewhere. Turning into a bend or curve, Katayama would have smoothly increased vertical force up front, through steady-state, to accelerating with vertical force shifting rearward.
Developed over a nearly eight-year period, GVC performs the expert-like function seamlessly and smoothly while using the engine as "the actuator, with no additional hardware required,” Umetsu explained to Automotive Engineering during a technical presentation and ride-and-drive event earlier this year. He noted that the GVC controller is integrated within the powertrain control module (PCM), occupying a scant 3-kB in Mazda’s 3-MB passenger car PCM.
Mazda dispatched a development team to Europe with the GVC-equipped Mazda6 prototype to obtain subjective responses and evaluations on public roads including high-speed motorways in the hands of 20 drivers of different nationalities and varying driving skills. Reactions were most positive, noted Umetsu.
Unique development team
The cross-functional GVC team of about 40 members is an interesting and unique joint R&D entity of OEM, supplier and academic engineers. There is no middle-management supervision, but the organization has the full support of Mazda Chairman Seita Kanai, R&D head Kiyoshi Fujiwara and his predecessor. Hirotaka Kanazawa.
Umetsu, an-art-major-turned-neuroscience-graduate of the University of Tsukuba, joined Mazda in 2006. He is a senior specialist in the vehicle development department, responsible for chassis dynamics. Like the team's other members he does not specialize in GVC; his primary job function is a vehicle development engineer-driver. Umetsu has been involved in the development of such vehicles as the CX-5, the new MX-5 roadster and its near-twin Fiat 124 Spider, spending a year with the latter in Italy.
The initial proposal came from Hitachi, employing brakes for vehicle dynamics control with higher deceleration intervention. This ordinary approach was quickly abandoned. Umetsu’s first encounter with the GVC concept was on the Tsukuba race circuit where he met Prof. Yamakado, at the time a Hitachi researcher specializing in engine control and fuel injection and a fellow track-day enthusiast. Their meeting, and conversations with others at J-SAE events, spawned ideas that led to G-Vectoring Control.
Umetsu also attributes quantum leaps in powertrain control and chassis technologies. Included were learnings from development of the Mazda Demio (Mazda2) battery-electric vehicle that the company offered to selected lease customers. That car's brake- or electrically-actuated deceleration was in the order of 0.1 to 0.3 g, versus the production GVC system’s 0.05 g. But a key enabler is the Skyactiv engine family, both gasoline and diesel, that incorporates extremely high control precision and responsiveness.
Source: http://articles.sae.org/15002/

SAE Battery Standards committees prepare for next-gen chemistries

“We’re just at the beginning of a steep growth curve for both electric vehicles and energy storage, and SAE International is going to play a huge role in that by setting the standards that are necessary to move it all forward,” said Robert Galyen, chairman of SAE's Battery Standards Steering Committee.
Galyen oversees 22 ground vehicle SAE battery committees. He spoke with Automotive Engineering about battery trends, technology, grid storage and standards, on the opening day of the 2016 Battery Show in Novi, MI.
As lithium batteries become commonplace in electrified vehicles, battery standards are evolving. SAE’s J1797 standard for electric vehicle battery packaging set the stage 20 years ago for vehicle electrification.
“We put J1797 in ‘stabilized mode’ within the last two months because it’s antiquated for what’s happening today,” said Galyen, noting J1797 was written in 1996 and became an industry standard in 1998. “That was at a time when nickel metal-hydride and lead-acid batteries were being used,” he explained.
Specific Li-ion battery standards address a variety of aspects, including materials, labeling, and safety.
“We have a cadre of engineers working on all the standards specific to today’s Li-ion batteries, and we have a committee specific to next-generation batteries as we want standards to be ahead of when next-generation battery technology reaches the market,” Galyen said.
Packaging system needed
SAE's Advanced Battery Concepts Committee will release their first technical information report this year.
“We typically write recommended practices, which are put in place to drive the industry to a common footprint or a common methodology of application," Galyen explained. "But this committee’s core role is to inform the general public about what’s going on.”
SAE’s Ground Vehicle and Aerospace groups share information related to the safe shipping and transport of Li-ion batteries.
“Because we have such a large group of people working on Li-ion batteries for products that go on vehicle applications and bus applications, it only makes sense to have these experts involved,” said Galyen, noting the aerospace group’s G27 is responsible for writing this battery packaging shipment safety standard.
The U.S. and many other countries have outlawed the shipping and transport of Li-ion batteries in the cargo bay of passenger aircraft, an area that’s unattended and inaccessible during flight.
“We need to create a packaging system that will contain these Li-ion batteries in such a way that fire cannot propagate," he asserted. "We don’t want the fire extinguishing system to be needed in the first place."
Autonomous EVs
Galyen expects all SAE Battery Standards committees will stay busy for some time, given the brisk growth rate of electrified vehicles in various global markets, particularly China. He believes the automotive sector is on the cusp of an "energy revolution."
An additional boon for electrified powertrains will come from the advent of SAE Level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles. According to Denise Gray, CEO/President of LG Chem Power Inc., who spoke at the conference, autonomous vehicles and electrified powertrains go hand in hand. She noted that key support technologies include advanced batteries.

Behind of Volvo S90

It’s no secret the reconstituted Volvo, since 2010 owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely, is doing interesting and innovative things—one of the most intriguing, maybe, being that it’s survived and in some senses thrived (particularly if fellow Swedish auto brand Saab is used as a measure) under Geely’s control.
Fact is that Volvo and Geely have shut up the naysayers: in the nearly seven years Geely’s been in charge, a studied and benevolent guidance (not to mention $11 billion in product-development funding announced in 2012) has delivered a Volvo that’s somehow managed to evolve its brand back to a relevancy few thought it could ever recover.
Geely and Volvo well know the auto business maxim that “product is king” and after a transition period that left showrooms thin with transition product, the new-generation Volvo is emerging. First (and perfectly timed for a crossover-crazy U.S and Europe) was the XC90 fullsize crossover (http://articles.sae.org/13390/) built on the company’s new, widely-adaptable Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform.
Now the S90 sedan—also based on SPA—is ready and the dwindling interest in sedans in every market segment will only add pressure on Volvo’s latest attempt to tackle the German luxury-brand triad to which every luxo-sedan is compared.
"Not a sport sedan"
Volvo wisely is trying to play off its reinvented brand—a niche image to which the “former” Volvo could never fully accept—saying matter-of-factly at a recent media launch that the 2017 S90 “is not a sport sedan.” With that off the table, the S90 can go about being what it is: a roomy, comfortable and safety-focused luxury car that’s more about safety and minimizing environmental impact than carving backroads.
Beyond the apparently wide size flexibility that its SPA architecture imparts, the S90’s Drive-E engines perhaps are its most fundamentally impactful engineering. For the U.S., the gasoline 4-cylinder 2.0-L Drive-E engine comes in two configurations: a turbocharged variant for front-drive S90 T5 models that develops 250 hp and 258 lbft (350 Nm). The all-wheel-drive S90 T6 is fitted with a turbocharged and supercharged version of the same 2.0-L that cranks up output to 316 hp and 395 lbft (536 Nm). Next year, Volvo will offer the wonderfully complex plug-in hybrid variant of this setup for the S90.
At 195.4 in., the S90 is marginally longer in overall length than the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class and is almost exactly the same length as Cadillac’s CTS, but the Volvo weighs at least a couple hundred pounds more than any of the three, so the energy with which the T6 engine propels the S90 is practically a dynamic revelation. This and the Drive-E engine’s smoothness and isolation from the passenger compartment means any concern about cylinder count and refinement effectively is not a concern. The supercharged/turbocharged 4-cylinder is, as claimed, all but free of perceived turbocharger lag and the AWD system ensures that no uncouth torque steer reveals to the driver that there’s a hard-working 4-cylinder up front.
The standard 8-speed automatic is an agreeable collaborator and helps this mighty engine to settle in enough to deliver a 34-mpg highway rating and 27 mpg combined. 
Refinement and technology focus
The T6s Automotive Engineering tried also displayed rewarding ride quality—particularly those cars with the optional air suspension to augment the car’s distinctive independent rear-axle design that employs a single transverse leaf spring to augment the hydraulic or air dampers. The front suspension for all S90 models is a double-wishbone layout that delivers the fine steering precision expected of this typically more-expensive design.
So the 2017 Volvo S90 is large enough inside to telegraph true luxury—even if, frankly, some of the interior trim and equipment don't totally seal the deal—and offers enough performance to back up the luxury claim. So Volvo thinks its competitive edge—apart from openly not trying to compete on “sporting” credentials—will be in its envelope-pushing use of autonomous technology.
The S90, Volvo claims, is the first car in the world to offer a standard-equipment semi-autonomous driving system (http://articles.sae.org/14568/)—Pilot Assist II—a “hands-on” configuration that steers and brakes on highways and at speed up to 80 mph, though Volvo is careful to say it’s mainly designed to reduce the fatigue of driving in stop-and-go traffic. The system is augmented with the S90’s “road-edge detection,” which Volvo similarly said is the world’s first system to eliminate accidents caused by running off the roads.

Aero-slick Land Rover Discovery sheds 1,058 lb, gains features

Jaguar Land Rover engineers continue to achieve significant vehicle mass reductions, this time with the new generation Land Rover Discovery. Shifting to aluminum construction for the bodyshell instead of steel and complemented by an intensive light weighting program for the whole car, has yielded a remarkable 480 kg (1,058 lb) saved compared with the previous model. This exceeds even the 420kg (925 lb) reduction of the Range Rover in 2012 when it was switched to an aluminum-intensive architecture.
The new Discovery, revealed at the 2016 Paris Motor Show closely echoes the Discovery Vision Concept which debuted at the 2014 New York Auto Show. For the production car, Land Rover has abandoned a steel body on a steel frame for an aluminum monocoque.
“The figure of 480 kg may sound almost incredible but we have checked it out many times!” said Alex Heslop, Chief Program Engineer. “And the Cd for the new car is 0.33 compared to 0.40 for the previous Discovery.” The combination of weight shedding and efficient aerodynamics help deliver improved performance and reduced emissions.
Single-piece bodysides
The new monocoque also allowed what he described as “a versatile, spacious seating solution (for seven 1.95-percentile adults) like no other.” Seats are configurable from a smartphone as part of what Land Rover claims as a “world first” remote Intelligent Seat Fold solution.
Those seats are also part of the weight saving achievement, using light weight high strength steel (HSS). Extensive use of high strength aluminum alloy has been incorporated within the crash structure. The whole bodyside of the car is stamped as a single panel to reduce joint count and improve rigidity, and the underside of the Discovery is also stamped from a single aluminum blank to enhance structural integrity.
Of the total monocoque, 85% is aluminum, with 43% of that recycled. Simplified exhaust and driveline systems also save weight and magnesium is used for the instrument panel crossbeam, a now common application for the material. Across the Discovery range, best unladen weight is 2115 kg (4662 lb), the company claims. Luggage space is a maximum 2406 L (85 ft3).\
Connect capability includes 9 USB ports, four 12-V charging points and an in-car 3G WiFi hotspot for 8 devices.
Tough test regime
Heslop emphasized that the car is as good or better off-road as the previous Discovery and has a wading depth capability of 500 mm (20 in, increased by 200mm/8 in), which he said is close to flotation point!
Combining both tough terrain ability and fine ride quality is a salient aspect of all Land Rover products. The new car has “optimized” steel front and rear subframes to meet stiffness and steering response requirements and overall chassis refinement.
Suspension is fully independent with wide-space double wishbones at the front, and the multi-link configuration at the rear also has an integral link, to deliver stiffer damping without decaying comfort or impact absorption performance.
Air suspension is an option, lowering the car 60 mm (2.4 in) for easier loading or raising it 75mm (3 in) for very rough terrain driving. Regular ground clearance is 283mm (11 in, an increase of 43mm/1.7 in), approach angle 34º, break-over angle 27.5º, departure angle 30º.
The new Discovery was developed using an exceptionally tough test regime, Heslop told Automotive Engineering. Land Rover refers to “a full program” of virtual testing before a physical prototype was built that included sand dune impacts. It used Exa Corp.’s PowerFLOW to support aerodynamic, engine and brake cooling design, running more than 1000 simulations (equating to approximately 12 million CPU hours).
The physical prototypes underwent some 35,000 individual tests of all components and systems. “Every new system has been developed for a reason, to enhance ownership experience, delivering greater convenience and versatility,” said Nick Collins, Discovery Vehicle Line Director.
Engine line-up includes a 177-kW (237 hp) version of JLR’s Ingenium 4-cylinder diesel delivering a claimed 500 N•m (369 lb•ft). It gets the Discovery to 100 km/h in 8.3 s, the engineers claim. Common rail injection pressure is 2200 bar. The range also includes a 3.0-L V6 gasoline with 250 kW (348 hp) output and 450 N•m (332 lb•ft). All engines get 8-speed ZF auto transmission. A 2-speed transfer box is standard.
New 'Nose Load Measurement'
Chassis systems are extensive and include All-Terrain Progress system (allowing the driver to set crawl speeds from 2 km/h to 30 km/h), controlling engine and braking. It also gets Terrain Response 2, automatically monitoring driving conditions that span regular driving to rock crawl via gravel, sand and mud modes.
Maximum towing capacity is 3500 kg (7716 lb) and Advanced Tow assist is available. A semi-autonomous system for reversing, the driver uses a rotary switch on the central console after configuring requirements on the car’s central screen. Responsive trajectory lines help the driver, with information fed from cameras fitted to the car’s door mirrors.
A claimed “industry-first” is Nose Load Measurement that facilitates a quick check on weight being applied to the towbar by the trailer to ensure it is within a 129-kg (284 lb) limit. It can be operated via the Discovery’s touchscreen or a smartphone.
The new Discovery has clear aesthetic links to other Land and Range Rover models but it has its own identity and carries over some cues from the previous four generations including a stepped roofline, and stadium seating, with each row higher than that in front.
Interior packaging improvements
Vehicle length is 4970 mm (196 in) on a wheelbase of 2922 mm (115 in). Height is 1846 mm (72.6 in) and width including mirrors 2220 mm (87.4 in).
Packaging has been a major aspect of all Discovery iterations. Its new Seat Fold system facilitates reconfiguration of the second and third seat rows using controls at the rear of the car, the central touchscreen, or a smartphone app. So a vehicle occupant could change the seat layout while in a store buying a bulky item.
The Discovery has a one-piece upward opening tailgate but there is also a powered, fold-down panel that doubles as a load restraint and also as a 285-mm-long (11.2-in) bench for event seating such as horse shows. It is designed to support a weight of 300 kg (661 lb), to cope with the Discovery’s occupants consuming an exceptionally good picnic lunch.
The interior is premium-led and the Discovery comes in a variety of trimsets.
A quirky design detail is the use of an asymmetric license plate recess that continues a link to the rear of Discovery generations past. Some skeptics may regard it as a slip, decades ago, of the designer’s pencil—but Land Rover insists that it really is meant to be like that.

Mercedes EQ concept previews 2019 electric SUV

Mercedes-Benz officially revealed its comprehensive electrified-mobility strategy at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, while unveiling a new electric concept vehicle, the Generation EQ, that previews an electric SUV slated for production by 2019.
The new strategy, named CASE—which stands for Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric—incorporates all electric mobility-related activities under the EQ brand. These will include a diverse range of services including energy storage units, designed for both private and commercial customers and charging technologies, including inductive charging. Sustainable recycling will also be included.
Mercedes-Benz says that by 2025, the company aims to have more than 10 all-electric vehicles in its model range. Heavy investment, over €1B ($1.12B U.S.) will be made in battery production around the world. €500 M ($560 M) will be invested in a second battery production site in Kamenz, Germany.
Describing the new electric models, Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said, "The new generation of electric vehicles will be based on an architecture developed specifically for battery-electric models, which is scalable in every respect and usable across all models. It is suitable for all model series as well as sub-models, such as SUVs, saloons and coupés. Wheelbase and track are variable."
This dedicated architecture will incorporate two electric motors driving both front and rear axles, with a total power and torque output of up to 300 kW (402 hp) and 700 N•m (516 lb•ft). The Generation EQ concept car has a range of up to 500 km (310 mi), Dr. Weber claimed.
The design of the new EVs will include a specific “radiator” grille and new exterior lighting treatment. Inside, the only traditional switchgear to survive will be the electric seat adjustment switch. All other controls will use touch-sensing switchgear.
This includes the steering wheel spokes, where the touch controls are integrated into Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays. A 24-in (609-mm) TFT dashboard display carries all relevant driver information. The displays can be customized to suit individual needs.
The scalable architecture of the new EVs will provide for varying wheelbase lengths and track width. Battery architecture will also be scalable using a modular system, with the batteries contained in the floor section within the wheelbase. Mercedes-Benz has chosen to build the cars in a mixture of steel, aluminum and carbon fiber.
Features include tight panel gaps, concealed windscreen wipers, cameras replacing conventional door mirrors and no conventional door handles. The front features a black panel with a three-pointed star illuminated in white and surround illuminated in blue, with LED headlamps. At the rear LED optical fiber illuminates the rear panel surround and switches to red when the vehicle is moving, providing a tail light function.
The concept EQ will illuminate automatically when the driver approaches, with digital lighting embedded in the interior door panels. Mercedes-Benz mapping partner HERE (co-owned with BMW and VW Group) will provide mapping that can integrate with autonomous drive functions.