Shaping Future Transportation

In its Initiative »Shaping Future Transportation« initiative launched at the end of 2007, Daimler is forging ahead with measures for significant reductions in fuel consumption as well as CO₂ and pollutant emissions (see here). In 2008, BlueTec diesel technology once again demonstrated the fuel-saving potential of conventional diesel engines. These vehicles already comply with the EU’s Euro 4 and Euro 5 emission limits.

Hybrid technologies will play a key role in the development of future drive systems. We demonstrated our expertise in this area at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in September 2008. An all-new development exhibited at the show was the Mercedes-Benz Axor BlueTec Hybrid, which is a prototype of a hybrid-drive long-haulage truck. Other new developments include the Econic BlueTec Hybrid, a vehicle approaching the production stage that features a parallel hybrid system, and the Econic NGT Hybrid. The latter is a unique concept vehicle that combines natural-gas drive meeting Europe’s strict EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) emission limits with an electric motor. Another vehicle that was presented at the IAA was the Atego BlueTec Hybrid with 11.99 metric tons gross vehicle weight.

As is the case with environmental protection, Daimler is also a pioneer when it comes to safety, the area in which it pursues the vision of accident-free driving. Commercial vehicles play a key role in this regard and are already a driving force for innovation. The capabilities of safety systems were demonstrated by a large-scale fleet test of 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Actros semitrailer trucks as well as by findings from extensive analyses of road accidents, which showed that around half of all serious truck accidents on highways could be avoided.