Contract hire News – Mercedes to launch electric super car
The quest to find a contract hire car that offers the lowest CO2 emissions more often that not results in a gas versus power output trade-off. Mercedes-Benz is amongst the pioneers in this area, producing increasingly more energy efficient models that do not sacrifice performance.
Mercedes-Benz BlueEfficiency and hybrid models are available to contract hire now. With low emissions, increased fuel efficiency and no reduction in power output they are in high demand with our car leasing customers.
Alternative fuels are set to feature significantly in the contract hire cars of the future. Mercedes-Benz will give us an insight into what we can expect when it launches it’s first electric powered super car.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG sports car is being developed with both petrol engine and electric drive. The battery powered car will have four electric motors positioned one near each wheel, with one transmission per axle.
In conventional powertrain drive systems power is lost between the engine and the wheels. The position of the motors on Mercedes SLS AMG electric drive will overcome this, whilst ensuring maximum traction at all times. Peak power output will be 526hp with 649lb torque, which will rocket the battery-powered car from 0-62mph in around 4 seconds.
Given that the 6.3-litre V8 petrol engineed SLS AMG - on sale next year - develops 571hp, it is easy to see a future where all Mercedes-Benz contract hire cars are electric.
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG electric drive will have a 440-volt liquid-cooled high voltage lithium-ion fuel cell, which is charged using the energy generated during braking.
As the SLS AMG electric drive will run purely from battery power it will create zero-emissions. The car will take Mercedes-Benz a giant step forward in its quest for sustainable mobility and a future where all contract hire cars are electric drive.
A date has yet to be announced for when the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG electric drive model will go into mass production, although it is anticipated to be 2015 at the earliest.
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