Daimler AG handed over ten Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec
Hybrid vehicles to DP Fleet GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL, at the
manufacturer's Wörth plant today. The vehicles will be deployed throughout
Germany in the mail and freight segments. The trucks assigned to DHL's freight
operations will operate in Wustermark and Hamburg, while the five Atego Hybrids
to be used by the company's mail division will go into service in Hennigsdorf,
Dortmund, Cologne-Gremberghoven, Gersthofen and Kolbermoor.
Deutsche Post DHL was Daimler AG's exclusive partner from
March 2009 to October 2010 in a European pilot project involving five Atego
Hybrid prototypes. This experience prompted Deutsche Post to order the ten
above-stated vehicles belonging to the second generation. Delivery of the
Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec Hybrid to its customers – primarily companies from
the logistics sector – has been gradually getting underway since March 2011. An
international expert jury has voted the Atego BlueTec Hybrid "Truck of the
Year 2011" in recognition of its innovative technology.
At the end of last year, the Atego BlueTec Hybrid
additionally scooped the prestigious "Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis"
(German Sustainability Award). The jury explained its grounds for choosing the
Atego as follows: "With the Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec Hybrid, Daimler AG
addresses various challenges in the area of sustainability. The adaptation of
hybrid components to the vehicle's operating strategy results in a reduction in
fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of between 10 and 15% – with even greater
savings possible, depending on the given topography and service conditions. In
braking and overrun mode the electric motor functions as a generator, feeding
energy into lithium-ion batteries which are subsequently available when special
load situations apply. These features make the Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec
Hybrid an environment-friendly vehicle with which Daimler AG sets benchmarks
worldwide."
The basis for the BlueTec Hybrid is provided by the Atego
1222 L Euro 5, which already meets the environment-friendly EEV standard
for particularly low particulate emissions and qualifies for toll-free use of
German roads. Its compact and light four-cylinder diesel engine with a displacement
of 4.8 litres generates 160kW of power. This engine is backed up by a
water-cooled electric motor with a maximum output of 44kW which is powered by
high-energy, high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
The electric motor is installed behind the combustion engine
and the clutch, but in front of the transmission. This configuration enables
the truck to be powered by engine and motor together or by either of the drives
on its own. The parallel hybrid drive enables start-up of the vehicle on
electric power, recuperation by the electric motor and optimisation of the
diesel engine's characteristic. The diesel engine's drive power is engaged via
the coupling between diesel engine and electric motor.
Until it is connected to the powertrain, the combustion
engine serves solely to drive the ancillary units. Apart from a marked
reduction of up to 15% in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, this also
results in lower noise emissions. The automatic start/stop function for the
engine reduces fuel consumption, emissions and noise to zero at traffic lights.
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