Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
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MAGAZINE
FOR
INNOVATION
TECHNOLOGY
MOBILITY
ISSUE 01 2010
MAGAZINE FOR INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY MOBILITY
E- CITY BERLIN
TECHNICITY
A network in the German capital
is shaping the future of electric mobility
6.50 EUR
TECHNOLOGY
MOBILITY
INNOVATION PROCESSES CAR OF THE FUTURE 9.00
10.00
USD
CHF
How networked creative processes are generating Why intelligent research vehicles are already having a 6.00 GBP
high-tech applications in innovation regions. major impact on the future of the automobile. 60.50 CNY
A publication of Daimler AG
© Stuttgart 2010 DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM
TECHNICITY
Aside from the novelty, inventiveness, and commercial
applicability associated with an innovation, its technological
strengths determine whether it will be patented.
4 T
In this issue you’ll find out more about this and many other
intriguing topics.
Pleasant reading!
Sincerely,
Thomas Weber
DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM 5
52
Car of the Future
40
Innovation Processes
24
E-CIty BErlIN
6 T
09 51 79
TEchNoloGy TalENT TolEraNcE
New technologies are not only the indis- “Attracting talented employees is the In addition to being crucial to the eco-
pensable driver of innovations and prog- key to business success,” says the nomic growth of large cities, tolerance,
ress in the 21st century – they’re also U.S. economist Richard Florida. Creative openness, and cultural diversity are an
exciting, electrifying, and fascinating. people are defining the future. expression of the new urban lifestyle.
10 52 80
Knowledge Network Car of the Future Mobility Concepts
Engineers and developers are using a global Why smart research vehicles are already Urbanization poses tremendous challenges
knowledge network to generate new ideas. having a major impact on the future of the for city planners and operators of local
At the Competence Center for Emission-free automobile. They are simultaneously the public transport systems. Bus Rapid Transit
Mobility (KEM) in Mannheim, they adapt trendsetters and the test platforms for new (BRT) systems can help to solve traffic
their solutions to create even more efficient technologies. problems quickly and efficiently.
and environmentally friendly vehicles.
62 88
18 Future-oriented research digital World
spEcTruM Futurologists are helping companies to Realistic images produced by computers
paint scenarios and predict likely trends in are inspiring architects and artists, helping
tomorrow’s world. One of their tasks is to doctors make diagnoses, and reducing the
investigate the developments that will shape time that engineers spend on test tracks.
24 future markets. Their focus is context- The virtual world has fundamentally changed
E-CIty BErlIN oriented, forward-looking, interdisciplinary, the way we live and work.
and international.
Electric mobility in the network
of the future. 96
In the German capital the course is being 68 DIGITal
set for the future of electric mobility. design Position
Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at
Mercedes-Benz, talks about methodology,
97
40 “green thinking,” and urban design.
IMprINT aND coNTacT
Innovation Processes
A success story about the strategic partner-
ship and exchange of ideas between Apple 70 98
projEcTor
and Mercedes-Benz in Silicon Valley. METropolIs
48 74
aNaloGy TraNsfEr
“Two billion vehicles aren’t a catastrophe.”
Dan Sperling, a transportation expert and
author from California, talks about sustain-
able mobility.
78
scalE
DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM 7
• Kunde: Mercedes-Benz
“Oh Lord …”
• 215 x 280 mm
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. www.mercedes-benz.com/sls-amg
• Jung v. Matt
Fuel consumption urban/extra-urban/combined: 19.9/9.3/13.2 l/100 km; combined CO emissions: 308 g/km.
The figures do not express any description of the emissions or fuel consumption of a car, are not part of any offer, and are intended to compare types of vehicles only.
• 4c
•
• 13404/18/10001/16
• DTP Thomas -1144
• Jung v. Matt
all over the world, engineers and developers are working on environmentally friendly drive
system solutions, such as natural gas and hybrid drives, in order to reach the target of zero-
emission mobility in successive stages. (Page 10)
in Berlin, political decision-makers and companies are working hand in hand to redefine the
future of electric mobility. it’s clear that only through collective action can we solve the
technological challenges of electric mobility and achieve our economic goals in the future.
(Page 24)
Products from apple and mercedes-Benz have a lot in common: They are innovative,
have a stylish design, and can be applied in a number of highly individual ways depending on
the customer’s specific requirements. The success story of the integration of the iPhone into
the mercedes-Benz S-class shows how these qualities are complementing one another in a
cooperative innovation process in Silicon Valley. (Page 40)
Daimler-TechniciTy.com 9
KEM The drive of the future could soon emerge as an alternative to conventional
combustion engines. But what will it look like? A visit to the Competence
Ω
Center for Emission-free Mobility (KEM) in Mannheim shows that many routes
can lead to environmentally friendly drive systems.
10
Waldheim
KeM Berlin
MaNNheIM
Leipzig
Rhine
Frankfurt
MaNNheIM
Stuttgart
ThINK local
The facility in Mannheim benefits from its proximity to other
Daimler plants and is at the same time part of the worldwide
competence network for alternative drive systems.
Mercedes-BeNZ VehIcles deVeloPed aT The KeM
Econic NGT
Atego 1217 Hybrid
E 200 NGT
Citaro FuelCELL
Atego BlueTec Hybrid
B180 NGT
Sprinter NGT
Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid
Plug-in Sprinter Hybrid
NEBUS with fuel cell
Vito with electric drive
JuIce Box At the heart of hybrid vehicles is the battery,
which is installed in Mercedes-Benz cars and commercial vehicles at
the Competence Center for Emission-free Mobility in Mannheim.
11
NaTural gas TechNology (NgT)
Trucks transport Mercedes-Benz B-Class vehicle bod-
ies in groups of eight from their production location
to the competence center in Mannheim, Germany.
Employees at the KEM inspect the vehicles to
determine if damage has occurred during transport,
after which the bodies are forwarded to the produc-
tion line. The technicians then connect the pressure
regulator to the engine circulation system. Finally,
they install the compressed gas cylinders underneath
the spare tire well and the driver area.
Both of the gas tanks are made at the KEM,
where they are assembled from valves, compressed
gas pipes, fuses, and other components. They have
a very sophisticated design based on plastic covered
with glass fibers and carbon fibers. This makes the
tanks as stable as their steel counterparts previously
used, even though they weigh much less and thus
produce significantly lower emissions.
sTePPINg oN The gas A Mercedes-Benz
B-Class NGT equipped with gas tanks underneath the
vehicle floor exits Hall 67 at the Mannheim plant.
12
14
eFFIcIeNT drIVes FroM Mercedes-BeNZ
1996 Vario 814 D van with hybrid drive
Vito compact van with electric drive
1997 NEBUS bus with fuel cell drive
T1 410 van with electric drive and zinc-oxide
batteries
1998 Atego 1217 with hybrid drive
Sprinter NGT compact van with natural gas
drive (market launch)
2000 V
ito with electric drive at EXPO 2000 in
Hanover
2001 S
printer with fuel cell drive (test vehicle)
2003 C
itaro FuelCELL bus with fuel cell drive
(small batch)
Econic NGT truck with natural gas drive
Sprinter with liquefied petroleum gas drive
2004 Atego 1217 truck with hybrid drive
Sprinter with hybrid drive and nickel metal
hydride batteries (prototype)
Sprinter hybrid with plug-in technology
E-Class 200 NGT with natural gas drive
(start of series production)
2007 Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid (prototype)
Sprinter Hybrid (prototype)
2008 B-Classww 180 NGT (prototype)
Sprinter 316/516 NGT (prototype)
2009 C
itaro FuelCELL Hybrid
(participation in prototype creation)
Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid
(participation in prototype creation)
Atego BlueTec Hybrid (prototypes)
2010 Atego BlueTec Hybrid (innovation fleet)
E 200 NGT (start of series production)
suPPly lINes A box full of gas lines
for installation into the natural gas-powered
Mercedes-Benz B-Class.
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susTaINaBle MoBIlITy Commercial vehicles from Daimler are As a result, the KEM is now firmly integrated into Daimler’s global
used all over the world. They are produced at numerous plants in development and production network. The KEM is also an important
many countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Thai- partner for the Hybrid Development Center in Stuttgart, which adapts
land, and Turkey. Another important location is Mannheim, where international strategies to the needs of the German market and mod-
the engine plant also houses a small but effective facility that equips els. The KEM is therefore a living example of the how synergies are
Daimler vehicles with sustainable drive systems: The Competence exploited within the Group and of the smooth transfer of technology
Center for Emission-free Mobility, which is known by its German ac- between the divisions.
ronym KEM. This versatility and high standard of innovation place great de-
The KEM is part of the Local Application Center in Germany. To- mands on the KEM’s employees and equipment. The center’s some
gether with other centers, such as the one in redford, U.S., it forms 80 skilled workers and engineers need to be familiar not only with
a network that cooperates closely with the Global Hybrid Center in internal combustion engines but also with natural gas, liquefied pe-
Kawasaki, Japan. The latter manages all of Daimler Trucks’ hybrid ac- troleum gas, high-voltage engineering, and hydrogen. it’s ultimately
tivities worldwide. The centers’ mission is to help achieve sustainable thanks to its specialists that the KEM, which is actually part of a com-
mobility by developing low-emission and zero-emission vehicles — and mercial vehicle plant, can now produce passenger cars with sustain-
to introduce these vehicles onto the market. able drive systems. The KEM manufactured around 6,000 vehicles
There is no single clear-cut path to success here, which is why last year and has the capacity to produce more than 10,000 units
Daimler’s road to Emission-free Mobility initiative envisages a three- annually even though it does not operate robots.
fold strategy: Daimler primarily uses electric drives in city cars such The center’s activities will be further expanded in the coming
as the smart, because of the limited range involved. Another develop- years in line with the growing importance of efficient and environmen-
ment focus is hybrid drives, which are particularly effective in city tally friendly drive systems, says Hermann Doppler, who is Head of
and regional traffic. Here they can be used, for example, for medium- Worldwide Truck Engine Production and is also responsible for man-
range distribution. Some 2,700 Orion hybrid buses and 550 Freight- aging the Mercedes-Benz plant in Mannheim: “The KEM strategy will
liner hybrid trucks are already on the road in the U.S., and around remain the same,” he says. “We aim to develop the best low-emission
800 hybrid light trucks and buses from Mitsubishi Fuso are in opera- drive system for all of our customers’ needs.”
tion in Japan. Actually, the KEM will begin to produce an innovative fleet of 50
All forecasts predict that the internal combustion engine will con- Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec Hybrid trucks that customers will intro-
tinue to be the dominant drive system for many years to come. in duce into their everyday operations at the end of the year. in addition,
response, Daimler is continuously optimizing this technology. To date, series production of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 200 NGT will com-
the company has put more than 290,000 commercial vehicles with mence in the fourth quarter of 2010. •
Daimler CleanDrive-Technologies and 13,000 commercial vehicles
with sustainable drive systems on the road. Many of these vehicles
originated in Mannheim. HYPERLINK
When it was founded in 1994, the Competence Center for Emis-
sion-free Commercial Vehicles, which would later become the KEM, You’ll find further information related to this article at:
still had the air of an inventor’s workshop and focused on the devel-
opment of commercial vehicles. Specially trained employees at the
center picked up new ideas that quickly paid off. in 1996, for ex-
ample, Deutsche Post DHL ordered an innovative fleet of 50 electric daimler-technicity.com/technologyandinnovation
Sprinter vans. including the following features:
Basically, the sustainable drive technology used in commercial 1. interview with Plant Director Hermann Doppler
vehicles is similar to that used in passenger cars. Given this fact and 2. Daimler commercial vehicles with alternative drives
the knowledge that the Mannheim center brings together experts and 3. The workflow of the Competence Center for Emission-free Mobility
technical equipment, Daimler decided to expand the KEM’s activities 4. Photo gallery of the KEM at Mannheim
to include passenger cars such as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and
the E-Class NGT. The KEM’s proximity to the Daimler plants in Wörth,
rastatt, and Sindelfingen creates logistical advantages and makes it
possible to work on cars, trucks, vans, and buses.
DAiMLEr-TECHNiCiTy.COM 17
tokyo, Japan Anyone who tends to get confused when negotiating with Japanese business
representatives might want to try out the new interpreter glasses from the Japanese electron-
ics company NEC. The glasses, which simultaneously translate spoken words, have a built-in
headset and voice recognition software that first converts speech into text, which is then
translated by a translation program. A mini-projector projects the translation onto the retina
of the person wearing the glasses, making it appear like a subtitle.
NEC says the glasses are particularly useful for confidential discussions when both parties
prefer not to have an interpreter present. Plans call for the Babel glasses to be launched in
Japan before the year is out. nec.com
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19
DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM
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the year of the tablet The vision put autoenergetiC Chip Implanted sensor chips could provide important data on
forth years ago by Microsoft founder Bill patients’ health in the future.
Gates will finally become a reality in 2010:
Small light tablet computers are now on washington, u.s. Electrical engineers at the University of Wash-
the march. Even if Apple’s iPad has stolen ington have developed a sensor chip for implantation in patients that
the show from dozens of competitors, it is has several very attractive features. Not only does it require no inter-
by no means the only device that is chang- nal energy source; it can also be read wirelessly and recharged at a
ing the world of work and entertainment. distance of up to one meter. The chip was first tested with a moth to
Together with “cloud computing” (data and investigate the insect’s nervous system while it moved its wings.
computing over the airwaves), tablet com- The sensor chip requiring no battery has commercial potential for
puters will elegantly and innovatively close medical and other applications that involve extensive measurements,
the gap between smartphones, stationary because it can be accessed and charged using conventional RFID
PCs, and consumer electronic devices. devices. Up until now, implantable microprocessors for retinas or ears
Renowned manufacturers are already have been operated using an inductive link whose energy source can
demonstrating how families will look at only be located a few centimeters away. technologyreview.com
vacation photos and watch TV shows in the
future, how scientists will carry presenta-
tions and speeches around with them, how
reneWaBle PetrOleuM
students will read a new generation of text- PrODuCtS
books and write papers with new devices, • Fuels
• Chemicals
and how service providers will get their
services to the customer. This year four
million tablet PCs will be sold along with FattY aCiDS
more than 55 million netbooks and nearly
250 million smartphones — and the num-
bers are rising fast.
Much more important than the techni- fermenter
DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM 21
22 T
Rising water flows from the sea into the The lock gates are closed when high The locks are opened at low tide. The
basin at the mouth of the river. tide is reached, thus capturing and water from the dam flows back into the
damming the water at the mouth of sea, driving turbines as it does so.
the river.
severn, united kingdom The tide is turning in the UK, where the government plans to build the world’s
largest tidal power station at the mouth of its longest river, the Severn. With an output of 8.6 gigawatts, the
plant would generate as much electricity as eight large power stations and cover five percent of the UK’s
electricity requirement without producing CO2 emissions or causing heated debates about the storage of
radioactive waste. The Severn is ideal because of the 15-meter tidal difference between high and low tides
at its mouth. Propellers similar to wind turbine rotors will harness the power.
Voith Hydro Ocean Current Technologies is working on similar projects. The company is currently test-
ing a 110-kilowatt turbine off the coast of South Korea and is planning to build a six-megawatt plant off the
Scottish coast. voithhydro.com
DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM 23
e-city Berlin
electric moBility in the networK oF the FUtUre
Berlin is bringing the future of sustainable mobility into the present.
the German capital has become a hub for the networks that will help to
make electric mobility an everyday reality.
SAn CARloS
(u.s.)
^ daimler aG / tesla motors inc.
Production: lithium-ion batteries
PARiS
eXemPlAry electric moBility (France)
total s.a.
initiAtiVeS in GermAny
H2 Mobility noW CEP
initiative for the establishment of a national organization for hydrogen clean energy partnership. associati -
hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. and Fuel cell technology. organiza- on of various companies and public
a memorandum of understanding tional platform set up by the German transport operators in Germany
(mou to this end was signed in federal government to coordinate that are seeking to promote the
september 2009. the agreement research and development activities, use of hydrogen as a fuel of the
calls for an analysis of various possi - such as the “electric mobility model future. the partnership members
bilities for establishing a nationwide regions” program. are BmW, BvG, daimler, Ford, opel,
hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. hamburger hochbahn, linde, shell,
such an infrastructure would boost statoil, total, vattenfall europe,
plans for the series production of and volks wagen.
electric vehicles equipped with fuel
cells. the h2 mobility partners are
daimler, enBW, linde, omv, shell,
total, vattenfall, and noW.
MAdRid
(spain)
Group headquarters, company location ^ Branches and outlets, subsidiaries
noW model regions cep (clean energy partnership) h2 mobility
test drivinG: smart electric drive B-class F-cell citaro Fuelcell hybrid
24 t
noW Gmbh
BvG — Berliner verkehrsbetriebe
German Federal ministries oF:
• transport, Building, and urban development (BmvBs)
• the environment, nature conservation, and nuclear safety (Bmu)
• economics and technology (BmWi)
• education and research (BmBF)
HAMbURg
EMdEn hamBurGer hochBahn aG
statoil Germany Gmbh clean enerGy partnership
P roduction: compressors for
h2 filling stations
bERlin
WolFSbURg
volksWaGen aG
ESSEn kAMEnZ
evonik industries aG
^ daimler aG/li-tec Battery Gmbh
rWe aG
^ daimler aG/deutsche
düSSEldoRF Provision of lEUnA accumotive Gmbh & co kG
^ daimler aG/mercedes-Benz plant 1,000 e-charging stations in Germany ^ linde aG/hydromotive Gmbh Production: lithium-ion batteries,
Future production: Production: h2 with steam reformer flat cells, ceramic separators
mercedes-Benz e-sprinter ColognE
Ford-Werke Gmbh
RüSSElSHEiM
adam opel Gmbh
FRAnkFURt/ M
MAnnHEiM
^ daimler aG/evoBus Gmbh
^ daimler aG, competence center for
emission-free mobility (kem)
^ mercedes-Benz
Production: StUttgARt
HAMbACH citaro Fuelcell hybrid (e.g.) daimler aG, Group headquarters
(France) evoBus Gmbh
daimler aG/smart plant enBW aG
kARlSRUHE
Production:
e-drive project house
smart electric drive
(daimler aG and
karlsruhe institute of technology) kiRCHHEiM/tECk
SindElFingEn ^ daimler aG /nucellsys Gmbh
StRASboURg ^ daimler aG/mercedes-Benz Production/development:
(France) sindelfingen plant Fuel cells
Production: ^ daimler aG / deutsche
MUniCH
e-test route from
mercedes-Benz B-class F-cell, accumotive Gmbh & co. kG linde aG
stuttgart to strasbourg
a-class e-cell BmW aG ViEnnA
development: reformer for generating (austria)
gaseous h2 from liquefied petroleum gas omv
ZURiCH
(switzerland)
MilAn
(italy)
25
3
26 t
b
ERlin it’s a cold winter morning in January 2010 at the in 2009 was daimler’s “concept BlueZero,” a modular study that
heart of the network that will propel electric mobility into features three complementary drive system types: battery-electric
the future. the smart fortwo electric drive projects a feeling (e-cell), fuel cell (F-cell), and electric vehicles with combustion
of urban freedom in the blue light of dawn — which isn’t sur- engines as range extenders (e-cell PlUS). this approach allows
prising, given that the vehicle has the potential to redefine personal complex and varied customer demands to be met. in this regard, the
mobility in large metropolitan areas. After all, it produces zero local concept BlueZero also underscores the idea that electric mobility
emissions and operates almost silently. will bring technical diversity to transport networks.
together with the mercedes-Benz B-class F-cell, the smart the charisma of Germany’s capital fits in well with the scenario
fortwo electric drive is already leading the way into the future of indi- developed by the experts. that’s because when it comes to the vision
vidual mobility. daimler chairman dieter Zetsche describes the elec- of a sustainable infrastructure in the near future, locally emission-free
trification of vehicle traffic in Berlin as “a promising pilot project.” drive systems for large metropolitan areas will play a key role — and
it marks an important stage of the analysis of customer reactions to not just in passenger cars. we will therefore be seeing diversity not
electric mobility and a milestone in daimler’s “road to emission-free just in terms of drive systems but also in forms of mobility, says Klaus
mobility” program. Bonhoff, managing director of now Gmbh (national organization
“there’s no question any more as to whether electric drive for hydrogen and Fuel cell technology). the capital is indispensable
systems will take their place beside combustion engines; it’s only a here both as a laboratory and as a base for pilot projects. “in Berlin
question of when this will happen,” says thomas weber, the daimler you can see how e-mobility can also be incorporated into larger net-
Board of management member responsible for Group research works that utilize different modes of transport,” he says.
and mercedes-Benz cars development. daimler is taking a three-
track approach on the path to low-emission, and ultimately zero-
emission, vehicles, says weber. the first track involves producing
“in Berlin you can see how
more efficient vehicles equipped with high-tech combustion engines,
the second is the implementation of need-based hybridization, and
e-mobility can be incorporated into
the third is the production of electric cars that run on batteries
and fuel cells.
larger networks.”
the third track on the “road to emission-Free mobility” went into KLAUS BONHOFF, managing director of now Gmbh
high gear in Berlin in december 2009 with the deployment of battery- national organization for hydrogen and Fuel cell technology (now)
powered smart fortwo electric drive models (30 kw output, 135-
kilometer range on a single full charge) and the B-class F-cell, which Berlin is also getting excited about electric mobility, which is why
obtains its electrical energy from a fuel cell powered by compressed Bonhoff is already very confident that the new drive systems will enjoy
hydrogen under 700 bars of pressure (100 kw output, approximately widespread acceptance among the population. And here in Berlin
400-kilometer range on a full tank). Both models are essential the concept is being put through its paces in a network consisting
elements of the paradigm shift toward ever-lower emissions, and of information, communication, and ideas. in order to measure how
ultimately locally emission-free drive systems. electric vehicles are assessed by the people in this collective of
perception, now is supplementing its technical operations with so-
FRAnkFURt AM MAin every year, the world turns its gaze toward cial-scientific research. initial results show that the mobility solutions,
this German city when the automotive industry presents its innova- with their technical and urban appeal, have made good use of the
tions at the international motor Show (iAA). the focus of interest opportunities available to them.
dAimler-technicity.com 27
28 t
REAR ConVERtER
the fuel cell stack (in blue) is the centerpiece of the
h2 drive system.
dAimler-technicity.com 29
inHAbitAntS
HydRogEn h2 is the most common chemical element in
the universe. hydrogen doesn’t exist in its pure form in
bERlin the German capital is marked by a relatively low rate of motorization per
resident as compared with other large cities.
ElECtRiCity in order to provide vehicles with the electricity
Public transport 26 % they need, it will be necessary to link power plants and elec-
tric filling stations. to this end, power grids will be employed
that operate with standardized voltage and utilize alternating
on foot/ by bicycle 43 % current with set frequencies. in Germany, this energy will be
transmitted over long distances with three-phase alternating
current systems that operate at a power frequency of 50 hz
PERSonAl tRAnSPoRt Berlin’s residents walk or ride their bicycles to their and grid voltages of up to 400 kv. only when it gets close
destinations 43 percent of the time, drive their cars 31 percent of the time, and to the consumer will this electricity be stepped down to an
use public transport 26 percent of the time. Some 30 percent of all journeys with effective value of 230 v (single-phase alternating current)
a vehicle are commuter trips. the number of commuters is increasing, leading to or 400 v (three-phase alternating current) for distribution at
higher traffic volumes. electric filling stations.
tRAnSPoRt Mix Personal transport with motor vehicles, bicycles, or by foot inFRAStRUCtURE one of the trademarks of electric mo -
is supplemented by an extensive network of buses, streetcars, subways, and bility is the generation of electrical energy from renewable
suburban trains, as well as ferries and small transport ships. the Berliner Ver- sources. unlike conventional centralized power generation
kehrsgesellschaft (BVG) transport company and the S-Bahn commuter rail at large power plants, this renewable energy approach in-
system alone transport a combined 1.3 billion passengers each year. Berlin is volves a large number of distributed power generation facili-
also served by the long-distance rail network and various airlines. the latter ties such as hydroelectric, wind, solar, and biogas power
transported 21.4 million people in and out of the capital in 2008. plants. energy companies like rWe and vattenfall now guar-
antee a stable and sustainable supply of electricity through
SoUrceS: State Statistical institute Berlin-Brandenburg; Federal motor transport Authority, Flensburg; a mix that includes wind power facilities and coal-fired power
Berlin Senate department of Urban development
plants with co2 separation.
30 t
Alexanderplatz
Victory column
Brandenburg Gate
sp
ree
museum island
8
Potsdamer Platz
German ministry of economics and daimler aG
technology (BmWi) research & development
society and technology research Group
German ministry of transport, Building,
and urban development (BmvBs) total deutschland Gmbh
German ministry of the environment, vattenfall europe Berlin aG & co. kG
nature conservation, and nuclear safety
(Bmu) BvG – Berliner verkehrsbetriebe
German ministry of education and Berliner energieagentur Gmbh
research (BmBF)
national organization for hydrogen
Berlin senate department of urban and Fuel cell technology
development (noW)
mercedes-Benz World
smart center Berlin electric filling station
mercedes-Benz sales
Germany (mBvd) cep h2 filling station
dAimler-technicity.com 31
32 t
dAimler-technicity.com 33
SyStEM
conVerGence
ExPERiEnCE Mr. kohler, when was units. today, activities within our project company with which we enjoy a long history
the first time you drove a car with an structures are so tightly networked that we of collaboration in the field of hydrogen
electric drive system? can exploit all the available synergies. And applications.
that must have been around the middle here i’m talking not just about research and
or the end of the 1990s — when i drove one development but also the preparations for StRAtEgy Where does daimler
of our very first fuel cell prototypes. driving series production operations. Because all stand in terms of its goal of zero-
a cold-combustion vehicle was a very inter- crucial activities are carried out within one emission mobility, now that the smart
esting experience. there was also something organizational unit, we are able to introduce fortwo electric drive and the b-Class
emotional about the electric drive system. new production vehicles very quickly. F-CEll are set to commence small-
it was direct and dynamic, and you immedi- batch production?
ately noticed that it was a different kind of tECHnology What effect does we’ve come a long way over the last
driving. this process have on the technical three to five years. As i always say, when
details of the vehicles ready for series you run a marathon, the race doesn’t really
PARAdigM SHiFt Can the current production? begin until you’ve run the first two kilome-
paradigm shift regarding vehicle motor- in this internal network for the future, ters. daimler has long since passed that
ization be compared to the changeover it’s important to use a modular strategy to point in terms of electric mobility and the
from the steam engine to the internal achieve the variety we’re seeking when it vehicle technologies that are needed to
combustion engine? comes to new production models. And that’s make it a reality. nevertheless, we’re still far
i’m not a big fan of bombastic images exactly what we’re doing. we’re following from having achieved our goal, especially
and comparisons, which is why i don’t see this approach for hybrid drives and electric when it comes to the key issue of infra-
us experiencing a “clash of systems” in the vehicles equipped with battery-electric or structure. •
coming years. instead, the focus will be fuel cell drive systems. the important thing
on the electrification of the existing power- is to not only align systems but also have
train, whether that occurs through a combi- identical components. curriculuM Vitae
nation of an electric motor and a combus-
tion engine or through the use of all-electric nEtWoRk oF tHE FUtURE berlin
+++ At daimler since 1976 +++ Founder of the
drive systems. As to how developments will and the “e-mobility” project represent
“environment, technology, and traffic” center
proceed in detail: well, we won’t know that one of the largest and most dynamic
in 1992, head of Strategic Product Planning at
until we’ve traveled a few years down the future networks in existence. What
development until the end of 1999 +++ honorary
road. let’s not forget that the development role is daimler playing here?
Professor at the University of Stuttgart since 1998
of energy technologies is always an evolu- we initiated the e-mobility Berlin pro-
+++ head of Body and Powertrain research
tionary process — in other words, one drive ject, and the hydrogen initiative in Berlin
2000–2006; subsequently director of Group
system isn’t going to replace another one wouldn’t exist in its current form if we
research & Advanced engineering Vehicle and
overnight. hadn’t been on board. together with other
Powertrain +++ chief environmental officer at
automakers and energy supply companies,
daimler since march 2002 +++ recipient of the
SynERgiES you’re Head of e-drive we were also involved from the very be-
B.A.U.m. environmental Award in 2005 +++ head
& Future Mobility at daimler. Since last ginning in the development of a standard
of e-drive and Future mobility at research and
year, your internal competence network plug for battery-electric vehicles. Such
Advanced engineering with responsibility for the
has consolidated all key activities as- major projects can only be implemented
development of batteries and fuel cells since 2009.
sociated with future mobility. What pro- if many partners work together in a dedi-
cesses have you developed to achieve cated manner. this is true of Berlin — but
this objective? it also applies to hamburg, where we’ve
the organizational restructuring that been cooperating with hamburger hoch-
took place one year ago brought together all bahn for quite some time. this type of
activities related to research and advanced cooperation also shows us who we can
engineering. it also led to the establishment depend on over the long haul. in this con-
of close cooperation with other business text, i would like to mention linde, a
dAimler-technicity.com 35
high-voltage battery
electric motor
Fuel tank
high-voltage battery
e-cell
the BlueZero e-cell is a pure battery-electric vehicle that can electric motor
travel 200 km on one full charge. the only external indication of
its electric drive system is a vehicle body that has no tailpipe or
exhaust aperture. e-cell PlUS
the vehicle is powered by an electric drive that gets its energy from a
battery, while a combustion engine serves as a generator. this range
high-voltage battery
Fuel cell system extender, a three-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of
1,000 cm3, is also equipped with a turbocharger. thanks to this setup,
the vehicle has a range of up to 600 km.
Power electronics
electric motor
Power electrics
onboard charger
transmission
electric motor
lithium-ion battery drivetrain cooling system
Accelerator
hydrogen tank
“hydrogen and electricity can com- MUniCH the technology for hydrogen tanks and storage units is
also at an advanced stage, according to markus Bachmeier, head of
plement diesel and gasoline as the hydrogen Solutions at linde in munich. Users won’t notice any dif-
ferences between the hydrogen filling process and the one utilized
key mobility currencies in the long for natural gas-powered vehicles – except for the fact that hydrogen
is stored at a much higher pressure of 700 bars. the typical filling
term. the race to see what will come process takes just three minutes. the initial central location for ve-
hicles equipped with fuel cells was a total filling station at heerstraße
out on top is well under way.” 324 that was developed and built by linde; a second station recently
opened on holzmarktstraße. linde also now operates a mobile filling
HerBert KOHLer, station known as trailh2-gas for supplying the ceP fleet.
head of e-drive & Future mobility, chief environmental officer, daimler AG Bachmeier believes that the current network of traditional filling
stations will serve in the future as important locations for h2 pumps
without a doubt, the optimization of existing and established drive as well: “Filling stations will have to offer the maximum number
systems is one good way of achieving significant short-term reduc- of available energy sources in the future, because consumers will
tions in consumption and co2 emissions throughout the vehicle fleet. want to obtain their fuel from trusted vendors.” Bachmeier also
other solutions such as electric vehicles offer great potential for believes great potential is offered by more extensive utilization of
the medium term, which is why they need to be extensively funded. “green h2” obtained from sewage gases or biodiesel production
however, such solutions will not have any significant impact on the waste. According to Bachmeier, electrolysis presents another sustain-
pollution balance of road traffic until they are on the road in larger able production method — when the energy comes from wind power
numbers. despite this fact, Kohler is convinced that electric mobility and solar energy — whereby hydrogen serves as a storage medium
will firmly establish itself over the long term: “hydrogen and electricity for the electrical energy produced from renewable sources. in gener-
can complement diesel and gasoline as the key mobility currencies al, Bachmeier is optimistic: “there will be a multitude of production
in the long term. the race to see what will come out on top in this techniques for generating green h2 in an intelligent and sustainable
process of change is already well under way.” manner,” he says.
A network of targeted funding: the German government’s na- the energy for the charging stations operated by rwe as part of
tional development Plan for electric mobility (nePe) aims to speed the e-mobility project in Berlin is already produced exclusively from
up this process. Part of the program therefore consists of putting renewable sources, says carolin reichert: “our charging stations only
one million electric vehicles of various kinds on the road by 2020. provide electricity certified as being generated from renewable
the first phase of the development plan involves projects that will sources. we can demonstrate that rwe feeds the same amount of
be funded to the tune of 500 million. the money will come from eco-friendly electricity into the grid in the area around the charging
Germany’s Stimulus Package ii; the program will be implemented stations as the electric vehicles take out of the grid.” the associated
by a network consisting of the ministries of education and research infrastructure – all the way down to the connectors – is already
(BmBF); environment, nature conservation, and nuclear Safety designed in such a way that a large fleet of electric vehicles will be
(BmU); economics and technology (Bmwi); and transport, Building, able to help compensate for fluctuating grid feed-in, as is often the
and Urban development (BmVBS). case with wind power.
daimler’s involvement in Berlin is just one of several elements the broad-scale introduction of electric mobility will require a
of the Group’s strategy for achieving zero-emission mobility. the nationwide network of new filling stations. daimler is taking the first
“e-mobility Berlin” project and daimler’s cooperation with many part- steps with its partners in this direction, says Kohler. Specifically, a
ners from the automotive and energy supply industries in the clean ring system of stations for hydrogen and electricity is now being
dAimler-technicity.com 37
SoUrce: excerpt from a report by the German budgetary committee for Stimulus Package ii, item 9
(Focus) “electric mobility” (Bmwi, BmVBS, BmU, BmBF, BmelV).
HyPerlinK
daimler-technicity.com/technologyandinnovation
including the following features:
1. how today’s electric vehicles from daimler operate
2. national and international funding for electric mobility
3. the history of electric vehicle development at daimler
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dAimler-technicity.com 39
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Flexible route selection with traffic route is calculated with a detour Quick guidance to the nearest
information from the internet. to the next filling station. parking lot or hotel.
DAiMler-TeCHniCiTy.CoM 43
auToMoTive aPPs
Where’s my car? The iPhone will be able to answer this question in the future —
but the mobile application mbrace from Mercedes-Benz USA can do even more
than that:
• Mercedes drivers can use it to lock or unlock their vehicle via their cell phone
touchscreen.
• mbrace can locate the vehicle via GPS even in large parking lots.
• in the event of a breakdown, mbrace automatically calls customer service or
roadside assistance.
• The iPhone can also locate the closest authorized Mercedes dealer.
• mbrace can display the account balance with Mercedes-Benz Financial.
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DAiMler-TeCHniCiTy.CoM 45
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DAiMler-TeCHniCiTy.CoM 47
Automatic start/stop
More aerodynamic function On-demand activation
exterior mirrors of power-steering pump
Lightweight materials
in the vehicle body
Completely clad
underbody
BlueeFFICIeNCY
Under the designation BlueEFFICIENCY, Mercedes-Benz has assembled a package of
measures that reduces a vehicle’s energy consumption and thus its emissions.
The holistic approach is the key — the sum of many detailed solutions adds up to the
desired energy saving.
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Sealed building
envelope
Southern exposure
Water-saving taps
in the house
No shading
Triple-glazed windows
with argon gas filling
Solar energy
(or heat pump)
for hot water
heat radiated by
the occupants
Automatically controlled
living area ventilation
Completely clad
engine compartment
On-demand activation
of fan louver
Insulated foundations
PassIvhaus BuIldINgs
houses built to the Passivhaus standard obtain most of their energy for heating from pas-
sive sources such as incident solar radiation and waste heat. They normally utilize a
heat recovery ventilation system. here too, the combination of numerous measures adds
up to substantial energy savings.
DAIMLEr-TEChNICITY.COM 49
www.daimler.com
a clear Vision is the basis of innovation. research vehicles like the mercedes-Benz F800
Style combine numerous high-tech applications — and offer a breathtaking glimpse of the
premium automobile of the future. (Page 52)
Descriptions of the world of tomorrow are far more than fiction, as futurologists are very
much aware. The latter investigate the trends that will shape the markets of tomorrow. Their
focus is context-oriented, forward-looking, interdisciplinary, and international. (Page 62)
From station to station, our author accompanied the traffic expert Dan Sperling, an advi-
sor of california Governor arnold Schwarzenegger. During the drive, Sperling explained why
the presence of two billion vehicles on the planet would be a challenge, but not necessarily
a problem. (Page 74)
Daimler-TechniciTy.com 51
Expressive “face”
headlights
• Advanced light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
• Fiber optics with high light efficiancy and low energy
consumption
• Strikingly attractive touches
• Dynamic look
SIDEwAll | SEITENfLANKE
Emotion-inspiring tension
Design features
• Organically stretched body surfaces
• Convex transition zones and precisely
curved lines
• Visible structuring of the vehicle body
• Highly dynamic character
• Roofline underscores the coupe’s aerodynamic design
The f800 Style research car combines the functionality of a five-seater premium-class sedan with the
highly emotional design idiom of the new Mercedes-Benz design.
YEAR | JAHR 2010 RATING | BEWERTUNG Tomorrow’s design and technology – today.
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DAIMLER-TEcHNIcITY.cOM 53
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ACCIDENT-FREE DRIVING | UNfALLfREIES fAHREN The f800 Style is also equipped with the innovative occupant protection system
It is Daimler’s stated goal to turn the vision of accident-free driving into PRE-SAFE 360°, which delivers even greater passive safety. It also monitors the
reality. All of its assistance systems are designed to do this by reducing driver area behind the vehicle and helps to prevent secondary accidents. The brakes
stress and thus ensuring a safer journey. are applied about 600 milliseconds before the vehicle is struck from the rear.
One example is the DISTRONIc PLUS Traffic Jam Assistant: At very low The primary benefit of this is that the vehicle, which is already stationary, isn’t
speeds in heavy traffic it regulates the distance from the vehicle ahead, all propelled into an intersection or a pedestrian crosswalk, for instance. The driver
the way down to a standstill, while also automatically following the driver remains in control. The brake is immediately released if, for example, the driver
ahead through curves – for improved convenience and active traffic safety. hits the gas pedal because there is sufficient space in front of his or her own
vehicle to avoid a rear impact.
DAIMLER-TEcHNIcITY.cOM 55
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The swivel arm for the rear door is mounted on the c-pillar, so the entire space is
available for getting into and out of the car when the door is opened.
The door concept of the f800 Style is a particularly customer-friendly innovation. The
front doors are attached to the A-pillar in the conventional manner and open toward the front,
but the rear doors slide backward when opened, revealing – because the design dispenses
with a B-pillar – a large opening that makes it easy to get in and out of the car. To make
this possible, the Mercedes-Benz engineers created an entirely new opening mechanism: Each
of the rear doors is suspended from an interior swivel arm with sophisticated kinematics,
which is mounted on the c-pillar.
The front doors of the f800 Style open toward the front as usual; the rear doors
slide backward.
DAIMLER-TEcHNIcITY.cOM 57
The f800 Style harmonizes the requirements of mobility and environmental protection.
The planned drive concepts are pioneering.
YEAR | JAHR 2010 RATING | BEWERTUNG The car of the future offers the same degree of flexible mobility that we enjoy today.
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:Range (km):
215/45 R 20approx. 600
Energy content of lithium-ion battery (kwh): 1.4
* NEDc overall consumption, corresponds to 3.0 liters of diesel equivalent
F-CEll | f-cELL
Electric motor
hydrogen tanks with reduction gear
The engineers equipped the f800 Style with a variable vehicle architecture, This modular system offers various options when it comes to output and inten-
making it suitable for use with a variety of alternative drive systems. Examples ded use. What’s more, all of the hybrid drive variants can be realized. The f800
include the Plug-in HYBRID and f-cELL variants presented here, which can be Style with f-cELL also benefits from this modular system, which has provided
easily realized in the f800 Style. To help with the design of hybrid vehicles, its electric motor and the powerful lithium-ion battery, for example. Another
Daimler has developed a scalable modular system with all the necessary indication of the everyday practicality of the f800 Style concepts is the car
technical components. trunk’s generous capacity of 440 liters in all variants.
DAIMLER-TEcHNIcITY.cOM 59
In 2020 energy – a commodity that was once used almost The Mercedes-Benz f800 Style has been designed for use with
wastefully – has become, quite literally, of very great value. different drive systems. The aim here is not only to accommodate
Energy plays a valuable role in helping us shape our daily lives, the engineers’ desire to test the drives but also to show that it is
whether we are at home, at work, or on the move. Environmental possible to offer a vehicle model with a wide variety of drive sys-
awareness has increased as a result — as has the determination tems, as has previously been the case. The drive systems involved
to preserve the Earth’s ecological balance. People are taking range from the very low-emission Plug-in HYBRID, which combines
account of a far wider range of factors in planning their everyday an electric motor with a combustion engine, to the zero-emission
lives, particularly with regard to energy issues. In this context, f-cELL, an electric vehicle in which the energy is supplied by a fuel
well-thought-out solutions are the better solutions. For example, cell. customers choose which variant they would like, in line with their
houses with self-climatizing walls and circulating air produce preferences and needs. Thomas Weber points out that “hybrid and
a comfortable basic indoor climate in hot and cold regions alike fuel cell electric drives are two key components of a broad range of
– without the need for air conditioning systems or any additional drive systems with which we plan to fulfill customer’s mobility require-
energy input. ments both today and in the future.” Daimler’s road to sustainable
mobility is a “three-lane highway” encompassing the optimization of
vehicles with advanced combustion engines, further gains in efficien-
“Green” design was a key factor in the creation of the f800 Style. cy through tailored hybridization, and locally emission-free driving in
The objective was to realize an environmentally friendly vehicle that electric vehicles powered by fuel cells or batteries. The f800 Style’s
also looked the part. One look at the research vehicle’s body design, drive concepts document how this thinking will be fulfilled in the near
for example, makes it clear that the aim was to achieve a low coeffi- future. In fact, series production of the Plug-in HYBRID is in sight,
cient of drag and thus create an energy-efficient automobile. Howev- with the market launch of the Mercedes-Benz S-cLASS scheduled for
The future gets a fresh start every day. And while the car of tomorrow will be different from
the vehicles we know today, it will still be an important feature in our everyday lives.
TEXT | TEXT Rüdiger Abele
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FUTURE
Gazing
Looking ahead:
Thirty years of futurology at Daimler
1. Respect for the future name: Society and Technology Research Group (STRG)
founded: 1979
test lab berlin For the futurologist, the chief tools of the trade unit: Society, Vehicle Concepts, and Human-Machine Interaction
are scenarios. Now, the attractive thing about a scenario is that it is director: Claus Ehlers
a modest, unassuming version of prediction. The aim is not to arrive based: Berlin, Böblingen, and Palo Alto
at a cast-iron forecast, but instead to sketch out a variety of possible emPloyees: Approximately 40
futures. The next step is to distinguish between the more or less prob- Projects: > 300
able and the more or less desirable ones. “Unfortunately, the desir-
able scenarios are not always the most probable,” says Waschke. “But
we can’t paint the world to suit our preferences.”
Steeped in history, the home of the Daimler research team teach- HYPERLINK
es us more than a little respect for the vagaries of the future. After
all, Potsdamer Platz was once Germany’s busiest traffic junction and, Further information on this article is available online at:
in 1925, the site of the country’s first traffic lights. Only a few years daimler-technicity.com/managementandprocesses
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DAIMLER-TECHNICITy.COM 63
previously, Kaiser Wilhelm II had confidently predicted: “My money’s An interdisciplinary team of psychologists, economists, communica-
on the horse — the automobile’s just a passing fad.” Twenty-five years tions experts, business experts, physicists, and philosophers helps
later, Potsdamer Platz was little more than a wasteland, ravaged by with this task. “Looking at the future requires input from a whole
World War II and then abandoned as a no man’s land between the range of academic horizons and cultural backgrounds,” says Ruff. “By
East and the West. Then of course everything changed with the fall adopting such an approach, it’s possible to gain insight into how tech-
of the Berlin Wall in 1989 — an event that hadn’t been predicted by nical, economic, and social developments combine to bring about
contemporary analysts. change. That’s why it’s important to not only maintain contact with
Daimler’s futurology activities have been based in Berlin for the various outside experts and researchers in other fields, but also to
last 30 years. In 1994, in response to globalization, an offshoot was consider different views and mindsets in other spheres of social life.”
opened in Palo Alto, California. Back in 1979, however, there were a To take a very simple example, more and more people now live
number of good reasons for deciding to locate the research group on their own. And obviously, those people want something different
“Transport, Environment, Future” in Germany’s divided city. Not only from the traditional family car. While an understanding of the different
did Berlin have a rich and diverse scientific community and an in- lifestyles that people might lead now and in the future is not neces-
ternational atmosphere — the city itself was also essentially a huge sarily within the classic “system boundaries” of an automobile manu-
social experiment. At the same time, the decision had a clear political facturer, “strategic foresight” can provide valuable information when
dimension. In opting for Berlin, Daimler-Benz (as the company was it comes to decision-making.
then called) was making a clear commitment to the city itself and its A recent and highly concrete example of strategic foresight and
status as an outpost of freedom. Obviously, the future can be actively successful cooperation between the Daimler futurologists and vehicle
shaped — by each of us, every day — rather than just passively en- developers is provided by the latest range of vans and their equipment
dured. Perhaps this is why one of the research department’s maxims lines. The day when a couple of young entrepreneurs had the idea
reads as follows: “Although we can’t know the future, we can prepare of setting up an online auction house for secondhand goods was a
ourselves for it. But to do so, we need to understand that it is we momentous day for commercial vehicle manufacturers. “The growing
ourselves who shape our future.” success of Internet companies such as eBay and Amazon made us
think about how this new business sector might influence the design
of our vans,” Waschke recalls. The result was a comprehensive ques-
tionnaire for the development unit to mull over: How large would the
2. Broadening horizons parcels be? How could the shelving in the vehicle be best designed
to accommodate individual deliveries? What could be done to make
strategic foresight In retrospect, the decision to set up a satel- getting in and out of the vehicle easier? How should the cockpit be
lite group to analyze “nontechnical future developments related to the designed so that drivers can plan and navigate their rounds from the
automotive sector” was an inspired one, taken by the engineers who comfort of the driving seat?
have traditionally formed the company’s backbone. “Other automak-
ers weren’t anything like as advanced as we were, back then,” says
Ruff, a psychologist and sociologist. He describes the team’s area of
activity as “strategic foresight at the company’s system boundaries.”
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FISH oR VEHICLE?
Nature has had around four billion years to
perfect its designs — which is precisely what
makes it of such interest to vehicle developers.
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In the future it will be more important than ever before to harmonize the needs Further information related to this article is available at:
of mobility and environmental protection. The world’s population will continue to daimler-technicity.com/technologyandinnovation
grow, particularly in metropolitan areas, which will become increasingly crowded including the following features:
with advancing urbanization. This will result in a greater demand for mobility – and 1. How the features of the f800 Style work
consequently higher traffic densities. According to the latest studies, the total 2. Photo gallery: The f800 Style in pictures
number of automobiles in the world will double to roughly 1.8 billion vehicles by 3. Videos and animations of the f800 Style
2030. As the inventor of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz is taking responsibility for
its ongoing development – in order to provide efficient and clean drive solutions
without the need to sacrifice comfort, safety, functionality, or driving pleasure.
DAIMLER-TEcHNIcITY.cOM 61
Gorden Wagener
Design of the future: Mercedes-Benz chief designer Gorden Wagener talks
about methodology, “green thinking,” and urban design.
CurriCuluM ViTAE
68
69
METROPOLIS
SINgApore
The “tiger state” plays a key role in the electronics and bio-
PARAMETERS technology sectors, and aims to become a pioneer in terms
SIngAPORE * of innovative transport concepts and green technology.
StatuS: Island and city-state
Founded in: 1965
area: 687 km2 ArchItecture In Singapore utilitarian structures such as subway stations and dams go far
population (city): 4,657,452 beyond their actual functions. They serve as hallmarks of sophisticated architecture and a new
population denSity (city): 6,779 inhabitants/km2 urban lifestyle:
• The recently completed Bras Basah MrT station in front of the art museum is 35 meters
underground, making it the deepest subway station in Singapore. Nevertheless, it is illumi-
nated with natural light that shines down into the station through skylights. The glass roof
panels have a special effect: When viewed from above they look like reflecting pools.
Malaysia
Malaysia • The “Marina Barrage” dam holds back a freshwater reservoir in the middle of the city.
Singapore
In addition to providing flood protection, it has become a new leisure-time attraction for
Singapore residents.
Indonesia
Borneo
MobIlIty When it comes to innovative transport concepts, Singapore has been a pioneer for
years. In 2008 Singapore Mass rapid Transit (SMrT) became the first company in Southeast
Asia to use Mercedes-Benz city buses with BlueTec 5 for its public transportation service.
The buses satisfy the euro V standard and significantly reduce fuel consumption and exhaust
emissions. The Mercedes-Benz A-class with fuel cell drive first hit the streets of the city-state
back in 2004. The aim of the test was to determine how reliable the fuel cell would be in a
tropical climate. daimler-technicity.com/citiesandnetworks
Singapore
* Source: cIA World Factbook
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AuSTIN
Austin has earned a reputation as a high-tech center.
PARAMETERS The Texas city is testing new ideas in areas including energy
AUSTIn * supply and mobility concepts.
StatuS: capital and fourth-largest city in the State of texas
Founded in: 1835
area: 767.28 km2 coMMunIcAtIon one of the biggest growth markets for mobile communication is location-
population (city): 750,525 based services — software that knows “who’s doing what, when, and where.” Among the most
population (region): 1,557,829 successful products in this field is “gowalla,” a mobile phone program from Alamofire, an
population denSity (city): 1,152 inhabitants/km2 Austin-based development company. The software sends the precise gpS location of its user
to selected social networks and friends.
uSa energy At what used to be Austin’s airport, a showcase example of smart grid technology
is being created for distributing clean power with new network technologies. The effort is one
of only 32 pilot projects in the entire u.S. to receive $10.4 million in funding from the u.S.
auStin Department of energy.
Mexico MobIlIty The “car2go” mobility concept developed by Daimler has been in use since the
fall of 2009. With its fleet of 200 smart fortwo cars equipped with the automatic start-stop
Cuba feature, Austin is the first car2go city outside of germany. The project is starting out with a
defined group of users, for example city employees. Then, in a second stage, car2go will be
opened to the general public in Austin. daimler-technicity.com/citiesandnetworks
auStin
* Source: uS census Bureau
DAIMLer-TecHNIcITY.coM 71
BANgKoK
Thailand’s capital is the new “in” metropolis for green
PARAMETERS architecture — and thanks to Bus rapid Transit the city will
BAngKOK * soon be a model for public transportation.
StatuS: thailand’s capital and biggest city
Founded in: 1772
area: 1,565.2 km2 ArchItecture “The Met” is a new highrise with luxury apartments that has won an architec-
population (city): 7,025,000 ture prize for being the best apartment complex. The idea was to combine a style of building
population (region): 12,177,000 that is typical of the tropics (a mix of indoor and outdoor living) with a highrise concept. The
population denSity (city): 4,488 inhabitants/km2 building features open spaces, verandas, and gardens, and lets in lots of light and fresh air for
cross-ventilation.
Myanmar MobIlIty Anyone who wants to know what a true traffic jam is should visit Bangkok, where
cars are often stuck in traffic for days. That’s why some drivers equip their vehicles with TVs,
refrigerators, and even toilets. one strategy for coping with the everyday traffic gridlock in
Vietnam Bangkok is BrT (Bus rapid Transit), a transport concept created to provide relief for big cities
plagued by traffic congestion. It consists of the following elements:
BangKoK
• Big buses run at very frequent intervals on a number of trunk lines that connect with
tHailand feeder lines coming from all areas of the city.
• Separate traffic lanes and platform bus stops ensure that passengers can board and
disembark safely and quickly.
• Ticket sales and boarding controls take place outside the vehicle so that the bus can start
off sooner.
BangKoK • A computerized traffic management system ensures flexible control.
Mercedes-Benz is taking part in the implementation of a BrT system in Bangkok.
daimler-technicity.com/citiesandnetworks
* Source: Department of provincial Administration Thailand
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coMMunIty What began as a protest movement by individual nature conservationists and
critics of capitalist economics has become a peaceful, if somewhat subversive, mass move-
ment. under the cover of darkness, faceless gardeners scatter seeds and plant flowers and
* Source: office for National Statistics uK
shrubs, transforming dismal plots into green oases. The best-known “guerrilla gardener” is a
London man, richard reynolds. He has written a book about guerrilla gardening and is the
organizer of the online community guerrillagardening.org, which has 4,000 members.
daimler-technicity.com/citiesandnetworks
DAIMLer-TecHNIcITY.coM 73
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DAIMleR-TeCHnICITY.COM 75
76 T
How exactly do you plan to change Why should we give up the comfort Daniel Sperling
the driving habits of hundreds of millions and freedom of being able to hop into our 59 years old +++ Professor of Civil engineering
of people for the better? cars when we want? Who wants to have and environmental Science and Policy at the
Cars are going to evolve into hybrid to order a ride? University of California at Davis +++ Director of the
vehicles. The proportion of vehicles that run I would say that most people would Institute of Transportation Studies +++ Member
on electricity will slowly increase. Com- prefer to be chauffeured around. The best of the California Air Resources Board +++ Climate
bustion engines will become less impor- transport system is the one that offers the protection pioneer in the U.S. +++ Co-author of
tant as a result, and oil consumption will most options while ensuring that people AB32 (greenhouse gas caps) +++ One of the main
decrease. We will probably never see large don’t have to drive if they don’t want to. authors of the Climate Change Report published
cars powered solely by electricity, because Keep in mind that owning a car is very by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
they would require excessively large and expensive — and all for a vehicle that isn’t (IPCC) +++ IPCC won the nobel Peace Prize in
expensive batteries. We can get close to a even used 90 percent of the time. The 2007 together with Al Gore +++ Author of more
carbon-free mobility system by exploiting average U.S. citizen spends more than than 200 technical papers and 11 books +++
renewable energy sources to generate power $8,000 a year to operate and maintain Frequent speaker on the topics of environment
for electric cars and by increasing the use of a vehicle. If we invested the same amount and transport +++ latest book: Two Billion Cars.
alternative fuels like bio-methane. The latter of money in an integrated system that, Driving Toward Sustainability +++
can be obtained from garbage landfills, for for example, replaced second cars with
example. Fuel cells offer yet another option; an intelligent network, we’d be looking at
the hydrogen they require can be obtained a new world of possibilities. With car
from renewable sources. However, this costs sharing I could afford to drive a different
time and money. That’s why we also have car every day!
to alter our driving behavior — particularly
in terms of the number of miles driven per A modern transportation system like
person. Put simply, a higher-quality transport that sounds very convincing. However,
system that is less dependent on cars is a the automobile boom in the next few
realistic possibility. years will take place primarily in coun-
tries like China and India. In many cases
these countries lack IT infrastructure
10:00 a.m. Cheese Board Coop and other things.
The ideas I’ve touched upon have
How must we change modern society relevance worldwide, even if they’re imple-
in order to bring this about? mented differently in different countries
What’s lacking now is a network linking — including China and India. The real Walking is better: Dan Sperling strolling through
different transport options that perfectly question is how we’re going to establish Tilden Regional Park.
complement one another. In the future we’ll attractive and sustainable transport
be seeing things like on-demand shuttles systems that encourage people in those
that pick people up from their homes in countries to forgo their own private cars. HYPERLINK
response to a phone call, a text message The popul ation density in India and China
or an e-mail. A system for coordinating is so high that public transport services You’ll find further information about this article
neighborhood cars will make it easy for are widely needed. The key question is online at:
people to reach public transport connec- how to offer better-quality mobility. The daimler-technicity.com/mobilityconcepts
tions. We’ll also have car sharing services for same applies to large metropolitan areas With the following features:
those people who really need to have their in the U.S. like new York, which has plenty 1. Dan Sperling’s CV
own vehicle at certain times. Finally, we’ll of buses and trains. However, a lot of 2. Dan Sperling’s bibliography
develop dynamic ride sharing systems that people don’t use them because the quality 3. Information on climate legislation in California
will allow you to go online and see if anybody is poor. Here we should consider offering
else is heading toward your destination. If different classes of tickets for local public
so, you’ll be able to grab a ride with them. transport, as we do for long-distance trains.
Daimler has actually tested some interesting For example, those willing to pay more
carpooling concepts here and in Germany. could take a luxury bus offering WlAn,
Information technology is the key when it espresso, and other conveniences. We
comes to ensuring that all of these transport need a comprehensive network of transport
system components function smoothly. systems that serve different target groups.
DAIMleR-TeCHnICITY.COM 77
80,000
… megabytes is the size of the dataset
required for the virtual crash test of
the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Page 88
1908
… passengers are transported in Istanbul
every day by the city’s Bus Rapid
Transport System (BRT).
Page 80
135
… was the year the first electric city car,
the “Mercedes Electrique,” drove through
Berlin-Marienfelde.
Page 24
39
whereas the Mercedes-Benz S-Class
weighs almost two tons. Nonetheless,
they fit together perfectly.
Page 40
1
… was the age of Gordon Wagener
when he became Head Designer at
Mercedes-Benz. A discussion about
the future of design.
Page 68
Before large sums of money are spent on tests, many processes and products are initially
developed in virtual environments. Today we are working with calculated simulations that
are visualized by means of computer-generated imagery (CGI). In industry, medicine, and art,
CGI has become indispensable. (Page 88)
TECHNICITy is a print magazine, but that’s not all. It also offers supplementary features,
interviews, and news in its digital version, thus demonstrating that each medium has
its own particular strengths. For example, the digital version offers videos and animations.
(Page 96)
DAIMlER-TECHNICITy.CoM 79
TRAFFIC
report
how major cities throughout the world are coming to terms with traffic
problems thanks to mobility concepts based on buses.
8:00 a.m., IsTanbul The traffic banks up at the First Bosphorus asian part of the city and conveys them to their workplace an hour’s
Bridge. The air vibrates with the honking of horns, and pungent ex- drive to the west of the center, where the headquarters of mercedes-
haust fumes are omnipresent. a heavy smog swirls under the bridge. Benz Türk are located.
oil tankers pass along the Bosphorus far below, on their way from the Selim Dallı is mercedes-Benz Türk’s expert on so-called Bus rapid
ports of the Black Sea to the mediterranean. To cross the bridge, Transit (BrT) systems, which provide dedicated traffic lanes for buses.
the morning traffic heading for the european side has to narrow after With short departure intervals, barrier-free entrances at bus stops,
the toll booths, which gives rise to long tailbacks. This spectacle is pre-ticketing and traffic prioritization, BrT systems make for brief
repeated at evening peak hour – only in the other direction. stopping times and smooth operation. Buses can therefore rush past
istanbul is the only city in the world that extends over two conti- the lines of cars and trucks uninterruptedly, thus significantly increas-
nents. its location on the Bosphorus is both a blessing and a curse, ing the effective volume of the public transport system and reducing
since its two sides are only linked by two bridges. With 13 million travel times and emissions.
inhabitants – some sources list as many as 15 million – istanbul’s BrT systems, a versatile transport solution for congested cities
population is larger than those of 105 countries. more and more peo- with a tight budget, are currently the focus of intensive discussions
ple are moving to istanbul. according to some predictions 25 million among market experts the world over. BrT is already in urban
people will be living in istanbul by 2023, commuting between asia and operation in practically every latin american country. in particular,
europe, between home and the workplace. rapidly growing economies such as india are now considering intro-
and all this with only two bridges? impossible, say city planners duction. Selim Dallı’s role is to act as a local contact for all inquiries
and transport researchers, who are feverishly developing schemes to relating to BrT.
prevent the traffic from coming to a complete standstill. everyone Within the space of just two years, the “metrobüs” has been
wants to extend the rail network, but the construction of new lines installed on one of five lanes of the e5 highway leading from
would take years and would not be possible in some areas in view of europe through istanbul to ankara – with low investment costs
istanbul’s hilly topography. nevertheless, a speedy solution to the compared to other systems worldwide and with a daily capacity of
traffic problem must be found. 715,000 passengers. Since it was not possible for a rail system
“We need planning that suitably links all transport modes and to be built on the bridge, crossing it with the metrobüs was the only
makes more efficient use of existing roads,” says 36-year-old Selim alternative.
Dallı, one of the commuters on the Bosphorus Bridge. he is sitting in
a minibus that collects him and his colleagues from their homes in the
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Ferry oPeraTIon on The bosPhorus brT rouTe In IsTanbul unIForm PaymenT sysTem
PARAMETER
WhaT iS BrT?
name: Istanbul bus rapid transit systems (brT) are flexible bus transport systems that offer solutions
sTaTus: Turkey’s largest city to transport-related challenges including congested roads all the way up to total grid-
Founded: May 11, 330 as Constantinople lock, overburdened public transport systems, and environmental pollution.
area: 5,500 km2
PoPulaTIon (city): 12,569,000 (2008)
01 a BrT system consists of one or more trunk lines that have buses traveling at very
PoPulaTIon densITy (city): 2,400 inhabitants per km2 frequent intervals, and which are fed by several feeder lines coming from all areas
Source: ibb.gov.tr of a city.
02 They use dedicated lanes and have at-grade bus stop platforms that make entering and
exiting the vehicles fast, safe, and easy, thus speeding up the transport process.
Zincirlikuyu
03 Depending on transport requirements, BrT systems can use vehicles with more or less
capacity at the intervals required. The avoidance of unnecessary trips without passen-
IsTanbul
gers is another important contribution to reducing environmental pollution.
Topkapı
Beylikdüzü
Sögütlüçesme 04 They employ pre-boarding ticketing, which means passengers buy their tickets before
avcılar boarding the bus and admission is controlled, so less time is spent on each pickup.
8:15 a.m., IsTanbul avcIlar The metrobüs starts here, in the gines complying with the euro V emission standards – well in advance
west of the city. The station looks more like a subway platform. of mandatory installation – are used in line service, which shows the
The passengers pass through a turnstile and pay with an electro- importance given to the environment.
nic ticket that can be loaded at a machine. at 40-second inter- although the system greatly enhances traffic flow, 500 new vehi-
vals, two to three articulated mercedes-Benz buses can dock at cle registrations daily create new challenges. extensions of the BrT
the stations. These so-called “capacity” buses from mercedes- system are under consideration, and the rail network is also to be
Benz are manufactured in mannheim, and have four instead of greatly expanded. What transport modes are best suited to the vari-
three axles. ous parts of the city? hayri Baracli, istanbul elektrik Tramvay ve Tünel
The highway’s BrT lanes are separated from the other lanes isletmeleri (ieTT) General manager: “We have installed metrobüs on
of traffic by steel cables.in other cities, yellow lines on the road or a a route that is too hilly for a rail link.” on the other hand, Baracli
row of curbstones mark the BrT lanes. at an average speed of forty concedes that the streets in many parts of the city would be too nar-
kilometers per hour, the buses roar past the lines of cars on either row for a dedicated bus lane. here, the standard bus routes must
side, right across istanbul and even over the Bosphorus Bridge to serve as a feeder.
the asian part of town. “it used to take me two hours to get to my Selim Dallı works in close cooperation with his BrT colleagues
lectures,” says a student passenger, “but now just one.” he is not from Daimler Buses headquarters, where a special BrT team has
alone: over a third of istanbul’s citizens spend more than two hours been established. This team coordinates the bus sector’s worldwide
in city traffic. BrT activities and has competence in transport planning. Five trans-
port planners and strategists in Stuttgart group together
8:55 a.m., cITy cenTer The BrT route continues on through the the experience of their colleagues, prepare this information for
mirror-façade canyons of mecidiyeköy and Zincirlikuyu. more and presentations and consultations, and develop specific BrT strategies
more men in suit and tie come aboard here, along with sprucely for individual regions on this basis. The question arises, for example,
dressed businesswomen. The spacious air-conditioned buses re- as to whether BrT makes the air cleaner. The local BrT system brings
flect a different kind of bus transportation. about a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 623 tons per day
“istanbul is a city of the future,” says mayor and architect Kadir in istanbul.
Topbas in his foreword to the new bus schedule. “80,000 people
who used to drive to work every day now commute on the
metrobüs.” Since being put into operation, vehicles powered by en-
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railroads.
60
50 There is another advantage to BrT: From planning
40 to the start of operations takes roughly 42 months,
elevated rail
30 whereas more than ten years must be allocated for
light rail
20 a subway.
10 Bus rapid Transport
Source: lloyd Wright, Bus rapid Transit — Planning Guide 2007, new york (iTDP)
Years 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
sTuTTgarT, 2,000 KIlomeTers aWay “BrT is about much more necessary. They have devised a computer model for an alternative,
than just buses. it is about better transportation, and ultimately better with a few centimeters from each lane reassigned to a grass strip
quality of life,” says holger Suffel, head of marketing, Sales and after- or pedestrian path. “our model provides pedestrians with greater
sales Daimler Buses, who is responsible for the BrT team. “experience safety, and they breathe cleaner air,” explains richard mejía. one
from other countries will enable us to develop tailor-made BrT of his favorite topics is transit-oriented development. The best-
systems to suit individual local requirements. The activities are still studied example is curitiba in Brazil, where the world’s first BrT
at a very early stage, but i see the rapidly rising demand as an en- system is in operation. The city authorities realized at a very early
couraging sign.” Stefan Sahlmann, manager of BrT concepts and stage of urbanization that the entire traffic must not be routed to
Strategy, confirms the growing worldwide significance of BrT: The the center,” says richard mejía. “on the introduction of the BrT line
number of inquiries from Daimler Buses’ global sales structure has in 1972, they designated five wide streets as principal traffic arteries,
risen sharply. Several systems are currently under development in order to avoid the concentration of commercial areas and thus
in mexico, and South africa is also setting store by BrT in order reduce traffic.”
to cope with the throngs of visitors to the World cup; many South Sandro Baumann, an intern in the field of BrT at Daimler Buses
african cities have commissioned feasibility studies. Plans are also Stuttgart, is from curitiba and grew up with that city’s BrT line. “Sky-
being drawn up for madrid. Daimler’s BrT representatives are seeking scrapers have emerged along the bus route, with shops on the ground
to position Daimler Buses in the growing market of mobility concepts floor and offices above. The townscape has grown together with the
for major cities. BrT system.”
richard mejía, manager of BrT Transport Planning at headquar- But why is interest only now starting to be shown in BrT systems,
ters, is sitting at his computer preparing a speech for a conference although experience from curitiba has long since been available?
in new Delhi. The international association of Public Transport (uiTP) This is because rail transport was long regarded as the more modern
has invited scientists, officials from various transport agencies, and and more sustainable solution. Stefan Sahlmann recently organized
employees of transport companies to an exchange of ideas on BrT, a delegation from abu Dhabi to visit Selim Dallı in istanbul. There
at which richard mejía has been asked to give a presentation. This is already a metro line in the neighboring emirate of Dubai, and a
topic is the subject of much discussion in india. The indian govern- further line is under consideration. The delegation to istanbul will
ment has provided funding for pilot projects in 15 cities, and a clarify whether a metro or BrT is the preferred solution for abu Dhabi.
14-kilometer test track has already been set up in Pune. richard after all, BrT systems can be implemented much more cost-effec-
mejía and his colleagues have found that the bus lane is wider than tively (see chart above).
Daimler-TechniciTy.com 83
22,000 450,000
22.5 km 50 km
14 80
The Orange Line is so fast that the transportation Home to 18 million residents and 6 million vehicles,
authority treats this BrT line as part of its rail system. with 600 new vehicles added every day. BrT provides
relief.
125,000 100,000
16 km 15.5 km
27 36
Introduction of the BrT reduced travel time along The architecture of the BrT stations ties into
the BrT corridor by 30 percent. the history of the city.
84 km 142 km
Nearly half of the vehicles on the trunk and feeder Is currently the longest BrT system in the world,
lines of the TransMilenio BrT system are from with 142 kilometers of dedicated lanes.
Mercedes-Benz.
curITIba, braZIl
1.8 million
3.1 million
2.3 million
Not available
380
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26,500 715,000
7 km 40 km
15 33
Today only 28,000 cars drive along the BrT route, The Metrobüs system was honored in 2009 with the
down from 55,000 cars in 2006. The reason: Sustainable Transport Award, which is presented
BrT reduces the travel time from 40 to 20 minutes. in recognition of projects that improve the quality of
life in large cities.
24 million 10 million
300,000 350,000
124 km 22.5 km
161 26
The city could be the fifth-largest on earth by 2015. Poster child and trailblazer for additional BrT systems
BrT has been used since 2004 in an attempt to get a planned in China.
handle on the associated traffic problems.
20.000 12,000
22 km 25.5 km
26 20
The BrT system in the Nigerian capital has a better- In order to cope with increased demand at the
than-average cost-to-benefit ratio. soccer Word Cup, the city broke ground for a BrT
system in 2005.
12 km 9 km
3 5
1986
The BrT system is one of the few guided busway Each full BrT bus means 40 fewer cars
systems in the world. on the streets of Auckland.
Daimler-TechniciTy.com 85
HYPERLINK
daimler-technicity.com/mobilityconcepts
including the following features:
1. istanbul city profile: inhabitants, history, transportation data
2. Photo gallery: lively traffic in istanbul
3. info: What is behind the european emission standards?
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harTmuT SchicK
“The development of even more efficient and environ-
mentally friendly vehicle technologies will play a key
role in shaping the BrT sector.”
TechniciTy: Mr. Schick, when and where did you What are the biggest systemic hurdles you face?
last ride the bus? First, we have to carefully consider the objectives
harTmuT SchicK: i got my bus driver’s license and requirements associated with the implementation of
right after it was decided that i should head Daimler BrT systems. every BrT system is unique. it is important
Buses. The first thing i did was to go for a test drive that the needs of the users — in other words, the passen-
with my family in a Setra Topclass. on the weekends gers, the local operators, and the cities — flow into the
i go into downtown Stuttgart and often take the bus or planning and implementation process at an early stage.
the subway.
And the technical challenges involved …
Will we all be riding the bus more often in the There’s an entirely different set of arguments on the
future? technical side. The prioritized use of buses enables BrT
yes, without a doubt. i am convinced that the im- systems to reduce fuel consumption and thus co2 emis-
portance of public transport — and in particular the sions by as much as 20 percent. That won’t be enough
relevance of bus systems — will increase. We are seeing to take you very far in the bus and BrT business in the
an increased demand for bus-based mobility concepts, future, however. The development of even more efficient
particularly from fast-growing major cities in which the and environment-friendly vehicle technologies will play
existing infrastructure systems are bumping up against a key role here. We observed this in north america
their limits. i have become a member of the executive with our orion hybrid buses, which are deployed
committee of the international association of Public in large numbers in new york, among other places.
Transport (uiTP). according to our estimates, public This is also the reason why we are pushing strongly
transport will probably double by 2025. ahead with the further development of the mercedes-
Benz G BlueTec hybrid and the mercedes-Benz citaro
What are you doing to prepare for this massive Fuelcell-hybrid. •
increase?
Daimler Buses is contributing, for instance, by offer-
ing the services of a team of BrT experts. These experts CURRICULUM VITAE
provide assistance to municipalities worldwide that are
striving to introduce and enhance customized urban bus harTmuT schIcK
concepts. The service is currently also being provided Born in 1961 in oberiflingen, Germany
to the cities that will be hosting the 2010 World cup
soccer games in South africa. and despite our core mechanical engineer
business, the experts focus not only on buses, but seek head of Daimler Buses at Daimler,
to create a networked and smoothly functioning trans- General manager of evoBus Gmbh
portation system in which existing and new modes of
transport augment one another. What this boils down
to in the end is efficiently combining sustainability,
mobility, safety, and comfort. That is our aspiration. and
here we have a lot to offer when it comes to BrT. We
are also currently discussing how we can provide BrT
solutions more efficiently, quickly and conveniently. our
ideas extend all the way to being a “sustainable trans-
port service provider” that offers far more than a classic
bus manufacturer.
Daimler-TechniciTy.com 87
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viRTuAl
World
realistic images produced by computers are inspiring architects and artists,
helping doctors make diagnoses, and reducing the time that engineers spend
on test tracks. The digital world has already created multiple realities.
Digital Dinosaurs Fear. That’s basically what millions of movie cluding the flight of a jumbo jet between the collapsing skyscrapers
theater visitors felt when they saw their first dinosaur “live.” The year of Los Angeles.
was 1993 and dinosaurs had just stepped out of the jungle to become Computer-generated images allow us to see and analyze things
stars in the film studio. For many viewers, the producers of Jurassic such as breezes and temperature differences that would be invisible
Park had created such a realistic depiction of the fossilized animals in real life. At Daimler, this potential is used to develop vehicles. Among
that fact and fiction seemed to merge. Thanks to its computer-gener- other things, the engineers and technicians at Daimler created a vir-
ated imagery (CGi), which was still revolutionary at the time, this mile- tual model of the new C-Class’ interior that encompasses almost eight
stone in film history was awarded an oscar. million different volume elements. A simulation software program was
The six minutes of film that showed the dinosaurs in all their glo- subsequently used to compute so-called comfort parameters, such as
ry accounted for almost one-third of the movie’s production costs of airflow and temperature fluctuations, for each of these points.
$63 million. The animation programs gobbled up five megabytes of on the basis of everything from the size, shape, and location of
“dinosaur data” for each of the 24 images required per second of the air nozzles to the possible settings of the car air-conditioning sys-
film. ever since Jurassic Park, virtual reality has become an increas- tem, the experts were able to “measure” the airflow and climate
ingly popular tool in the movie industry. When the doomsday epic throughout the vehicle interior. The experts also took into account pa-
2012 showed the destruction of our entire civilization, the main roles rameters that affect the vehicle from outside. These included the air-
were no longer played by the actors in front of the camera. in fact, stream, ambient temperature, solar radiation, and humidity. The com-
not a single scene in the film would have been possible without the puting results were then made visible in a virtual 3D model of the ve-
work performed by the movie’s main star, the computer. Around hicle, which was projected onto a six-meter-wide and 2.5-meter-high
1,000 visualization experts worked on the computer-generated spe- surface known as the “Powerwall” at the Development Center in
cial effects, using a cluster of up to 250 computers to create about Sindelfingen, Germany. The depiction showed the results as airflows
one petabyte (one million gigabytes) of film data. As a result, movie- that were colored according to their temperature levels. The striking
goers can enjoy a photorealistic depiction of the unimaginable, in- thing here was that all of this was done during the development pro-
DAiMLer-TeChniCiTy.CoM 89
Is there a particular sector that is leading experience can only be created by using stereoscopic,
the way with CGI, and should other sectors follow and therefore spatial, depictions on a huge projection
its lead? surface. Systems such as the Powerwall and the Cave,
The use of advanced visualization technologies which give the impression of actual virtual reality, play
increases in line with the level of a product’s quality a pioneering role in this regard. however, they are
and the amount of development work it requires. one correspondingly expensive as well, which is why only
of the leaders in this area is certainly the automotive major companies have them.
industry. And regardless of which sector they work in,
engineers who already design their products using So the increased use of visualization technolo-
3D CAD systems are also increasingly turning to CGi. gies requires more effort and consequently gener-
The essential precondition here is that the three- ates additional costs.
dimensional design data they use must already be in the same way that the design of three-dimen-
present within the system. if that is the case, three- sional CAD objects is increasingly becoming a part of
dimensional objects can be visualized or animated everyday life, 3D visualization and virtual reality will
without too much effort. gradually spread. in fact, they will eventually be used
for everything from concept presentations and the
Where do you think CGI has the biggest development of designs to providing customers with
potential? advice at the point of sale. it’s important to remember
As a means of communication. That’s the case, that we can use the data generated for the virtual
for example, when you have to present a new product product again and again for various purposes. •
idea to decision-makers or when you want to compare
various design concepts. Besides the automotive indus-
try, the construction sector is another good example CuRRiCuluM viTAE
of the use of CGi, as is shown by recent developments.
Because digital models are increasingly augmenting
Dr. manfred Dangelmaier
or even replacing real-life architectural models, it is
Born in heidenheim, Germany,
now possible to integrate the planned buildings into
on May 31, 1960
virtual cityscapes or to take the builder on an initial
virtual tour.
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life-saving Cgi
Computers are increasingly providing life-saving
results in the form of on-screen visualizations.
Using cross-sectional images provided by CAT scan-
ners or magnetic resonance tomographs, computers
generate virtual 3D models that allow doctors to ex-
actly plan operations or better coordinate treatment.
Brain surgery is a particularly difficult opera-
tion — for example, when a tumor (shown in green
in this image) has to be removed without damaging
an artery (red). The image comes from the MAGi
(microscope-assisted guided interventions) system,
which was developed by the University of London.
When conducting operations, surgeons generally only
see the image provided by a microscope. in MAGi,
however, a computer-generated view of the surround-
ing tissue is superimposed on the image.
DAiMLer-TeChniCiTy.CoM 91
Digital arChiteCture
The Dutch architectural office UnStudio (van Brekel
and Bos) required terabytes of CGi data in order to
create the designs for the Mercedes-Benz Museum
in Stuttgart.
COnTExT
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93
“With the digital prototypes, we create the charateristic Mercedes-Benz driving behavior
during the simulations. The fine-tuning is done in real-life tests.”
luDGer DraGon, head of Driving Performance, Simulation, and Analysis at Daimler
And that’s not only true for prototypes construction. Vehicle bodies, Despite all of the successes, Daimler will continue to construct real-
for example, have to go through a dipping tank in order to coat the life prototypes. After all, people’s perceptions and emotions are best
body with paint. For this process, it is important that the body be stimulated by actual objects. experts, test drivers, and customers will
turned and twisted in such a way that not only the interior and exte- therefore continue to fine-tune and evaluate vehicles outside of the
rior areas but also all of the cavities are coated with a uniform layer development labs as part of a holistic experience. •
of paint.
To determine all the individual steps of this process for the sub-
sequent series-production stage, the production engineers at Daimler HYPERlinK
first use the virtual model to precisely time the movements in the dip-
ping tank. During the virtual dipping and drying process, the simula- additional information relatingd to this article can be found
tion software “measures” key parameters such as paint adhesion, flow online at:
movements, and the degree of hardening.
These values can subsequently be used to compute images in
which different colors illustrate various coat depths, even in cavity
areas that would not be accessible in real-life vehicle bodies. To en- daimler-technicity.com/managementandprocesses
sure that these values correspond with those of the actual produc- including the following features:
tion process, the engineers have programmed empirical results into 1. A brief history of digital simulation
the visualization software. To achieve this feat, the engineers made 2. Driving simulators — how fender benders are avoided on the computer
many measurements of real-life vehicle bodies during the dip-paint- 3. Virtual plane crashes: Mega-calculations for greater flight safety
ing process. The results were subsequently used to calibrate those
of the computer system. As a consequence, the computed values
have now achieved a degree of reliability that is within the normal
range of error for the measurement systems used to check real-life
painting processes. The key task of CGi technologies is to support
the designers who are working to develop new ideas and products by
providing them with images that are as detailed as possible. Just as
vehicle air-conditioning systems or painting processes can be visual-
ized on computer screens, it’s also now possible to check all of the
other vehicle functions on virtual models using simulation and com-
puting programs.
To ensure that such programs run as smoothly as possible, the
development engineers at Daimler have combined the individual dig-
ital design and testing systems into a single platform, which they call
the “digital prototype”. By networking the development work, it is pos-
sible, for example, to detect difficulties regarding the interplay of dif-
ferent technical components or conflicts between the design and the
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a CalCulateD view
Artists are using computers to create not only
completely new shapes and realities but also familiar
ones such as faces. however, that’s an area where
human perceptions are especially sharp. even tiny
inconsistencies in facial expressions can reveal a
“person” to be a digital fabrication. The graphic
designers’ tools are now so sophisticated that every
pore in a person’s skin looks real, as in this image of
a girl by the South Korean artist Viki yeo.
95
96 T
print edition. Online users can “virtually design hoch drei GmbH & Co. KG,
browse” through the magazine — and order Glockenstraße 36, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany
Tel. +49 711-55 03 77 30
it with the click of a mouse. Fax +49 711-55 03 77 55
e-mail: marzena.schneider@design-hoch-drei.de
Online: design-hoch-drei.de
VideocasT advErTIsINg
Technologies are made easier to under- advertising manager: Marzena Schneider,
design hoch drei GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, Germany
stand thanks to animation and videos. media data: daimler-technicity.com/mediakit
DAIMLER-TECHNCITY.COM offers an
pICTUrE CrEdITs
extensive collection of videos that provide
P. 18 Courtesy of NEC Corporation, P. 19 licensed to Honda (Motor Europe Ltd.), P. 19 © Industrial
fascinating insights into the world of Technology Research Institute Taiwan, P. 20 Ozcan Research Group at UCLA, P. 21 © Massimo
automotive innovation. Brega/Eurelios/SPL/Agentur Focus, P. 22 Bayer Material Science AG, P. 23 © Astrium, P. 41
Apple, P. 47 Creative Force Maps, P. 51 © Dan Brownsword/Corbis, P. 70 © Justin Guariglia/
Corbis, P. 71 © Richard Cummins/Corbis, P. 72 © Paul Souders/Corbis, P. 72 © Jeremy Horner/
Corbis, P. 73 © Martyn Goddard/Corbis, P. 79 © Marnie Burkhart/Corbis, P. 88 Visualisierung
Mercedes-Benz Design, P. 91 © Geoff Tompkinson/SPL/Agentur Focus, P. 92 © Achim Menges,
weeKly web cHecK P. 95 © Viki Yeo
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DAIMLER-TECHNICITY.COM 97
Think Tank
INVENTING THINGS IS FUN Or, as Carl Benz once said in his 80th year, “The passion for invention never ends.” That’s why at the heart of every
invention is a playful impulse which in many cases has sprung from a visionary idea. People’s ability to project their ideas into the future is yet
another creative talent. Those who can do so will use their visions to shape the world of tomorrow.
98 T
TECHNICITY
Aside from the novelty, inventiveness, and commercial
applicability associated with an innovation, its technological
strengths determine whether it will be patented.
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