New high-tech safety prototype based on the S400 hybrid
06-09-2009, 05:38 PM
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New high-tech safety prototype based on the S400 hybrid
http://www.motorauthority.com/sneak-...e-vehicle.html
The car has airbags UNDER the front end to help it slow down, and the metal inflates.
Crazy.
The car has airbags UNDER the front end to help it slow down, and the metal inflates.
Crazy.
06-10-2009, 03:16 AM
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I'd like to see more details about the "airbag brake". It does not help if you put another rubber face to the ground, loosing weight from the wheels would reduce braking power at least equally as the additional rubber would give. It would need to be a hook entering the ground or something like that. But why not if the car knows that an accident can be avoided if braking at 2G or more instead of the max 1G or so that wheels can do.
06-10-2009, 01:56 PM
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I'd like to see more details about the "airbag brake". It does not help if you put another rubber face to the ground, loosing weight from the wheels would reduce braking power at least equally as the additional rubber would give. It would need to be a hook entering the ground or something like that. But why not if the car knows that an accident can be avoided if braking at 2G or more instead of the max 1G or so that wheels can do.
06-11-2009, 11:45 AM
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1999 E320 & 2008 S550 Designo
The other main question is....
how much $$$ to replace the batteries a few years down the road?
I have heard that batteries replacement for a Honda Civic was already around $5-6K...
I have heard that batteries replacement for a Honda Civic was already around $5-6K...
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06-11-2009, 07:10 PM
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Funny thing, it never occurred to me, that the batteries would have to be replaced
So, where the heck are the Hybrid savings?
So, where the heck are the Hybrid savings?
06-12-2009, 03:02 AM
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The battery does not need service as often as the engine needs oil changes but one might assume the battery lasts as long as the engine, which it unlikely does.
The savings are there still from the reduced fuel consumption but you are right that the battery maintenance takes a big part of the potential savings. Perhaps the main savings are considered being at the CO2 emissions. Difficult to say how much CO2 does the battery swap introduce, it does take a bit of CO2 to produce a car, including a new hybrid battery. Would be nice to see accurate estimations taking all aspects into account.
06-19-2009, 12:09 AM
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GL550, C55, 335i Coupe, vintage Mustang
I have driven and seen under an S400 and can say that that "airbag brake" is not on the car. It would, as another poster said, take too much weight off the front wheels when steering imputs are critical. The S hybrid was developed as a way to get CAFE points to help allow us to sell V12 cars in the future. It isn't meant to be super efficient, just to have a smaller carbon footprint. Also, currently, the Li-ion hybrid battery is about $7000, but I would not be surprised if the part became much cheaper as the technology becomes more common place. Also, there are already plans for a 10 year warranty on the battery.
Nick
Nick
