Mercedes says electric car development limited by battery life

Mercedes' head of research and development dampens hopes of a fully electric future.

By Andrew EnglishPublished: 7:00AM BST 26 Sep 2009
Limited range will continue to dog battery car development says Dr Thomas Weber, head of research and development at Daimler Benz.
"It will not be possible to build a range of more than 250 miles for the next 20 years," he says.
Weber thinks that this will put a hold on the popularity of battery electric cars, even though pending inner-city emissions regulations will force car makers to build them.
Mercedes is working on three versions of its B-class, with battery electric, fuel-cell electric and hybrid petrol/electric alternatives which give ever increasing ranges – the first of these, a lithium-ion battery model, has a range of 90 miles and will be on sale in 2012.
Weber says that fast-charging stations will be required to get around the limitations of battery cars and increase their appeal. He thinks that high-current, public charging stations will be able to speedily charge the latest lithium-ion cells with little effect on the battery's longevity.
"Within five years, I can see a full recharge capability in maybe half an hour," he says, "but the infrastructure is the key to bringing all these advanced technologies to market."
Mercedes-Benz unveiled an electric version of its SLS last week, which has a range of about 150 miles.
Weber says the cost of the electric SLS would be about €200,000 (£181,284) and that production is under consideration. "We are looking at limited numbers," he adds.