sustainable cars: chemicals as part of the solution

Sustainable Cars: Chemicals as Part of the Solution

The Automobile: 1885–2010

125 years of evolution, techniques and materials125 years of evolution, techniques and materials

43rdANNUAL

MEETING

3-7 October 2009

Content

History of cars evolution:

■ Pre-1900: Once upon a time…Food for thought: Were cars more sustainable than horses in the 19th Century? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2

■ 1885 – 1900 The Golden Age: On the roadFood for thought: The 3 types of energy: steam,electricity, and gasoline _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4

■ 1900 – 1945 Mass production and post-war developmentsFood for thought: Methods of production:Benz/Oldsmobile/ford _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6

■ 1945 – 2000 Sustainability, safety, comfortFood for thought: Raw materials, wood or plastics? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9

■ 2000 – Future The next steps: Chemicals as part of the solutionFood for thought: Chemical products and categories in cars _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 13

■ Exhibition Catalogue _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15

Automobile timeline _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Insert

We hereby express our sincere thanks to thepersons who have devoted time and efforts torealize this joint EPCA – CEFIC Exhibition on“Sustainable Cars: Chemicals as Part of theSolution”. All have shared their passion forcars and bundled together theirorganizational, communication and draftingskills. Thanks to these joint contributions, weare now able to show with pride thatchemicals are part of the solution inproducing sustainable cars at EPCA’s43rd Annual Meeting dedicated to coping withchallenges through sustainable development.

We would like to express our special thanks toDr. Dominique Cruyt, former EPCA President,who, allowed us to have access to hispublication on the history of cars andpetrochemicals. He also allowed us to publishthe English version of his cartoon strip on thetest drive by Bertha Benz in 1887 in the“Dreirad” developed by Carl Benz. This cartoonis attached to the brochure.

Dr. Albert Heuser C. Demeestere

President EPCA Secretary General EPCA

SUSTAINABLE CARS: CHEMICALS AS PART OF THE SOLUTION EXHIBITION 2009 EPCA-CEFIC 1

Thank you words

Sustainability and cutting edge technology are key issues for thedevelopment of a low carbon economy and a less polluted environment.

The European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) is organizing its43rd Annual Meeting on the theme: “Turbulent Times for Chemicals: Coping withChallenges through Sustainable Development”. In the context of this year’smeeting, EPCA organizes, together with Cefic (The European Chemical IndustryCouncil), an Exhibition in the Mercedes Welt am Salzufer in Berlin. The Exhibition islinked to EPCA’s general topic with its main theme being:

“Sustainable Cars: Chemicals as part of the Solution”.

Indeed, the car industry and the chemical industry are team players withsame goal: ecological, economical and human sustainability.

This brochure explains the car’s evolution and intends to demonstrate thatsince the introduction of petrochemicals into the production of cars, they havebecome more sustainable. Chemicals in cars have allowed the production of carsthat are lighter and consume less fuel. CO2 emissions have been reduced and thewell-being and safety of passengers and drivers has been increased.

A car today has 4 times more chemical components than fifty years ago.The cooperation between the car industry and the chemical industry results in higherenergy efficiency and provides sustainable solution.

EPCA-CEFIC EXHIBITION 2009 SUSTAINABLE CARS: CHEMICALS AS PART OF THE SOLUTION2

Pre 1900: Once upon a time …

From horses to horse power!

Once upon a time horses pulled carriages. Other than walking,horses were the only real means of transport for centuries. They pulled carts, stagecoaches, covered wagons, and deliveryvans. So why were people so quick to give up horses for cars?Well, believe it or not the answer lies in ‘manure’! Barge loads ofhorse feed had to be ferried into cities across the world only tobe barged out again – but this time as muck. You can imagineboth the smell and the flies during the long hot summermonths! With cars, it was very different. You didn’t have to feedthem and they certainly didn’t cover streets with manure!

The race is on!

In 1872, two men by the name of Daimler and Maybachstarted working at the world's largest manufacturer ofstationary engines of the time - the Deutz-AG-Gasmotorenfabrik in Cologne. Together with a designer calledOtto they focused on gas-engine development culminating inthe invention of the Four-stroke cycle also known as the OttoCycle which was characterized by four piston strokes - intake,compression, power, and exhaust. Otto hoped his inventionwould replace the steam engines predominant in those years.However, unknown to Otto, Daimler, and Maybach … at thevery same time in Mannheim in1878 Karl Benz wasconcentrating all his efforts on creating a reliable two-strokegas engine based on the same principle. But this wasn’t to bethe only complication as serious personal differences arosebetween Otto & Daimler - Otto was jealous of the former’suniversity background and knowledge. This lead to Daimlerbeing fired in 1880 and Maybach resigning later. Daimler andMaybach then decided to open what could be called the “firstcar garage” by founding the Daimler Motoren Gesellshaft(DMG) in Stuttgart.

Did you know?

• Leonardo Da Vinci first thought of theidea of a machine to transport people?

• The very first headquarters of Daimlerin 1882 was a cottage in Stuttgart?Unfortunately the neighbors reportedthem to the police as counterfeiters who then raided the house but foundonly car engines.

Key Milestone!

• Belgian Jean-Joseph-Etienne Lenoir wasthe first man to build a hydro-carbonpowers-D“horseless carriage”. His carmanaged to reach a speed of 3 milesper hour (mph).

• German Gottlieb Daimler and WilhelmMaybach had the envious job as“Inventors”. In1885 they invented themodern petrol engine to fit to a two-wheeled vehicle and the ‘motorcycle’was born. But this wasn’t enough for ourintrepid inventors! In the same year theymanaged to put the same engine intoboth a boat and a stagecoach!

Four-Stroke Otto Cycle Gottlieb Daimler in his 1186 4-wheelcarriage, driven by his son Paul


Daimler always favoured privilege engine-manufacturing until his death in 1900. His loyal

assistant, Maybach, would carry on this developmentand produce an automobile (the Simplex Mercedes) in

1901, which soon made all other cars look old-fashioned.

Wilhelm MAYBACH

Benz fovoured car manufacturing.Instead of proposing an adaptedhorse carriage, his tricycle would bethe first “genuine” gasoline car to bedesigned, produced and sold. With500 units per year at the end of the19th century, Benz became thelargest car-producer in the world.

Cars: more sustainable than horses in the 19th Century?

ENIVRONMENTAL ISSUES IN CITIES: TRAFFIC JAMPeople often believe that the traffic jam is a modernphenomenon and often look back on the “good oldtimes”. Take a look at this 100-years old picture takennear Piccadilly in London and just imagine,that ontop of the congestion how an maneuverable a horsecarriage was!

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE:MECHANICAL BANG-BANG! : Farmers were generally opposed to cars in Englandand in the US, until Ford convinced them that the “T-model” was also designed and priced for them: a“large and rustic all –rounder” on high wheels, idealfor bumpy roads.

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY: HORSES, QUITE COSTLY…Check out this self-explanatory strip from Italy:

Using horse + carriages as a means of transport also had an environmental and economical impact:

Key milestone!

• In 1889 Daimler-Maybach built the firstcar NOT shaped in the style of a horse-drawn carriage.

• The first hybrid car actually dates from1900: two electrical engines located inthe front wheels were linked to agenerator driven by a Daimler gasolineengine. Presented at the UniversalExhibition of Paris the Lohner-Porschewas powered by two electric engineslocated in the front wheels.


1885 - 1900 The Golden Age :

Progress accelerates!

In 1895, Benz designed the first ever truck in history, with someparts later being modified by the world’s first bus company:Netphener. In 1896, Carl Benz was granted a patent for hisdesign of the first flat engine consisting of horizontally-opposedpistons which served to balance each other. More than 100 yearslater the same design is still used by Porsche, Subaru and in theengines of some top level racing cars.

Did you know?

• Despite being considered as ‘the fathers of the car industry’,Daimler and Benz never actually met.

• Rudolf Diesel’s experiments dated from 1890. Continuousimprovements had mastered the tougher metal constraintsbecause of higher compression and heath generation. In 1909Benz’ engineers had developed a ‘pre-combustion chamber’. Having disappeared mysteriously from the ship ‘Dresden’ whencrossing the Channel in 1913, Rudolf Diesel will never see hisscientific triumph: a first Benz-lorry in 1923 and in 1936 theMercedes 260 ‘Première’at the Berliner Car Salon.

Who could predict, morethan 70 years ago, thefuture of his invention?

Lohner-Porsche 1900

The star of Mercedes, a premonitory design ofGottlieb Daimler in 1873 and only patented in

1909 by his successors, is definitely pointing to his early motoring vision:

earth, water and air.

AIR

EARTHWATER

1936: Mercedes 260Diesel


On the road

The 3 types of energy: steam, electricity and gasoline

STEAM: a mature technology since James Watt. Quitepopular as a "road locomotive" for public transportduring the XIXth century. Even individual transportationoften required a driver and a "chauffeur" to “warm up”the oven. The starting procedure required 1/2 an hour,frequent cleaning and regular water refill. Despite theimprovements on condensers, the autonomy was stillquite limited. The vehicle however was fast and silentenough to allow the Stanley Brothers to build theirsteam-cars in USA until 1927.

ELECTRICITY: As it is still the case today, these vehicleshad limited autonomy and aging batteries. Women,however enjoyed those models since the power unitwas not complicated, being easy to start and silent.Therefore more care could be devoted to luxury anddecoration. Unlike steamers, the faster electrical carsperformed badly as soon as the road went uphill.

GASOLINE: the recently developed 'internal combustion'car benefited from all XIXth century inventions: steel(quality and tooling), electricity (battery and induction),vulcanisation of rubber, oil drilling...

It will also benefit from airflight: “the” most impressiveearly XXth century invention. Since no one, even theWright brothers, could imagine flying heavy coal,boiled water or lead batteries, aviation gave adetermined impulse for developing the gasolineengine as the universal power unit for locomotionand opened a new era for humanity. For quite some time, cars remained faster than airplanes until decisive progress occured during WW1.

The aeronautic break-through made during the warproved the sustainability of gasoline engines asefficient and reliable. We will see how the automobilewill take advantage of it in the years to come.

They will continue to be marketed, each one on own merits, for transportation:

Luxurious electrical cars are still quite popular in 1914. Here the future President Dwight Eisenhower

in a ’chic’ Rauch& Lang Electric.

For a long time steamers had no mechanised competition: in 1885 (year of Benz first car) Amédée Bollée’s

stream vehicles were on the road.

1908: the first race between ‘air and ground’: a Buick-bug is challenging an early airplane


1900 - 1945

From low interest of the society to mass production

Despite some startling technicaldevelopments in the early 1900s, theautomobile was still not considered bymany as a means of transport. The horsewas used to transport people and goods;the car a mere status symbol – a toywith which the elite paraded theirwealth around town on a sunnyafternoon. But soon, that would changewith the advent of mass production...

With mass production came anexplosion of new car makers rangingfrom Peugeot to Renault, Fiat, Lancia,Bugatti and Rolls-Royce. Massproduction in Europe before 1920 was nothing compared withthe USA. The race was on to take the car to the next step. Thevarious companies competed with one and another on the racetrack and in terms of car design. Maybach created one suchinnovative new model, the ‘Daimler Simplex’ which had a longerstreamlined body built on a u-shaped lighter chassis; fitted witha lighter alloy engine and cooled by a honeycomb radiator. Thearrival of the Simplex-Design ended the days of the carresembling a “horse-carriage.” The Austro-Hungarian Consul inNice, Emil Jellinek, was so impressed by this new invention thathe ordered 36 cars in advance and expressed his intention to selleven more cars (the first step towards mass production),provided he could name them after his beloved daughter“Mercédès”…

• World War II led to a boom in technicalinnovation and the use ofpetrochemicals in automobiles andplastics in electric wires.

• The 1937 season become famousbecause of duels between the V16cyl-6liter rear engineAudi (deisgned byPorsche) with legendary pilots likeRosemeyer, Caracciola, Lang, Seaman,Nuvolari, von Brauschitsch and others.This racing period is also important forpetrochemical-like liquids: experimentson boosting performance (over 700HP)were carried out with alcohol-basedmixtures.

Key fact!

Key fact!

Daimler-Simplex 1902


The age of mass production

Did you know?

• Racing cars were originally made NOT ONLY to race BUT ALSO to test new engines before going into production! Actual racing only started in 1930s with petrochemical liquids playing a very important role.

• The first pneumatic tyres were developed by the Michelinbrothers.

• Ferdinand Porsche worked at Daimler-Benz before leavingto create his own company. The future straight-six poweredsuper-cars, inspired by Porsche, will be, after he leftMercedes, the initiators of a competition leadership lastingfor more than a decade.

• Racing competitions made car producers realize that “weight was and stillis the enemy”. At that time, light materials could only be provided by nonferrous metals although some “chemicals” were making a modest entry:

- Chassis : pressed steel techniques (Dodge Brothers 1914) andunitary self-supporting body construction (Lancia Lambda1922) replaced the traditional chassis and banished wood froma lot off structural parts in favour of more metal.

- Cellulose : mainly in paints.- Rubber was still a natural compound. Polybutadiene will onlyappear during WW2. - Bakelite : a carbochemical polymer – the first syntheticcommercial plastic – invented by Belgian Baekeland in 1907,slowly replaced the dashboard and incorporated in electricaldevices different natural raw materials (ivory...) and the famoustransparent and non-transparent “mica”.

Other Commodity polymers (thermosets and thermoplastics) for electricalisolation of wires (thus replacing traditional fabrics) will appear during andafter WW2.

Key fact!

Mercedes 24/110/140: a Porche design

1935: W25 overtaking Maserati alongMonaco harbour


1900 - 1945The age of mass production

Methods of car production: Benz/Oldsmobile/Ford

BENZThe Benz Velo-type is a first attempt to build on agrand scale.This meant a production of 2 cars a day,which in 1899 was the equivalent of the cumulativeproduction of US and England. Belgian King Leopold IIwas among the early Benz-customers before switchingto Mercedes.

OLDSMOBILE‘Turn a negative into a positive’ is what Random E Oldsdid after a fire destroyed his plant in 1901. The new‘Curved Dash’ Oldsmobile benefits from a completelymodern production line and is rightly considered as theindustrial predecessor of …

FORDHenry’s Ford initiative: the immortal « T-Model ». The Ford philosophy was simple: the easier to produce,the cheaper to sell, and thus, the more af-FORD-ablethe car becomes for each American family.

After WW1, future car giant manufacturers will followthe same path to become global. The adoption of‘Taylor-type’ production methods as well as new andbetter materials (lighter alloys), techniques and design(chassis) will inspire the industry.Solid petrochemicals will still have to wait another 2generations…

Competition has been crutial to the development of this growing industry from the very beginning. Production methods will also progress in different steps:

Henry Ford between his first car and Ford T n°10.000.000 (and still many more to come…)


Key fact!

• The Experimental Safety Vehicles of Mercedesled amongst others to the introduction of ABS(1978), driver airbag and belt tensioners (1980)and side airbag and belt force limiters (1995) into the Mercedes’ passenger car program.

1945 - 2000 Sustainability, Safety & Comfort

Durability and safety

In the 1960s there was an aspect of mass motorization thatbecame obvious: more and more people were being killed onthe roads. The U.S. Department of Transport has thereforestarted a program for improving safety on the roads with theidea of encouraging automobile manufacturers to build safervehicles. Meanwhile in Europe, the Southern German Regions(Länder) established a department aimed at makingautomobiles even safer in the future. In subsequent years, theengineers at Mercedes developed and built a total of morethan 30 Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESVs).

The Mercedes ESF 24 was one such ‘state-of-the-art’ researchvehicle made to investigate road accidents. The total length ofthe FSF 24 was increased because hydraulic impact absorbersin the front, designed for a speed of up to 65 km/h,considerably lengthened the front end and thus protected thepassengers. Despite the numerous additional features, thevehicle’s curb weight increased by only approximately 10percent to a total of 1940 kilograms. The ESF 24 was regardedas the conclusion of the chapter that the U. S. Administrationhad initiated. From then on, active and passive safety elementswere essential features of every new design at Mercedes.

• As far as sustainable safety is concerned, theMercedes 300 SL (1980) was the firstMercedes car to provide an Anti-Lock BrakingSystem (ABS). In 1982, customers were also ableto order a driver airbag for an additional charge.At the same time, the three-box design with itsdefined crumple zones at the front and rearwith the rigid passenger cell in the middle, weredevelopments of the brilliant inventor BélaBarényis, who advanced the issue of safety foryears in the Mercedes-Benz company.

Did you know?

The Mercedes ESF 24


1945 - 2000

• A red-coated Mercedes SL of the R 107series even became a television star inthe 1980s as the car of the oil magnateJR Ewing in the TV series, Dallas!

Key fact! Glass fiber!

Did you know?

Elegance and quality, comfort,design, sense of luxury

As society changes so too does transport. During the post-wareconomic recovery and period of women’s emancipation,manufacturers responded to the emerging feminine demand asfrom 1920 through cars such as the tiny Austin 7, or thequadrilette Peugeot.

The notion of pleasure, elegance, comfort, innovative design andsense of luxury, combined with new technology and use ofpetrochemicals were introduced into the car industry.

The Mercedes 300 SL, for instance, has a cleverly thought-outheating and ventilation system, which improved the occupants’well-being during long journeys and is considered as anadditional safety feature. Other “instruments” to improve driversand passengers’ comfort were introduced: air ducts to keep theside windows from fogging. From the 1950s onwards,technological developments and the use of chemicals,introduced even more quality, comfort and elegance to cars.

Sustainability and chemicals

The introduction of an increased number of chemicals in cars,improved their sustainability.With new chemicals, cars became more environmental-friendly.The Mercedes 300 SL presents some innovative performances inthis way. Cathaphoresis is an electrochemical coating process inproduction, in which the body is immersed in an electricallyconductive and aqueous immersion paint and is therefore verysuitable for automated coating processes. In addition, cathodicdip coating ensures uniform coating layers and is environmentfriendly, because the coating yield is up to 98.5 percent.

• The body shell of the Mercedes C111,introduced in 1970, is entirely made of glass fiber reinforcedplastic (GFRP), which is riveted andglued to the steel frame to enhancerigidity. In 1977, a further prototype was

produced, thistime equippedwith a 230-hpturbo dieselengine. Itsbody shell wasmade ofpolyester resinwith carbonfiber layers

(reinforced with textile glass mats) andextremely streamlined. All of this addsup to lighter cars and lower fuelconsumption.

The Mercedes SL


Sustainability, Safety & Comfort

In the 1980s, Nicolas G. Hayek sought to build a revolutionarycar after his success with Swatch watches. He believed that theswatch production strategy could also be translated to mass-produced cars. In December 1993, Hayek and Mercedes-Benzdecided to work together and founded the joint company

Micro Compact Car (MCC). The prototype Smart aspect used apurely electric drive via what is known as a wheel hub engineon each of the front wheels. The batteries that are required forthe electric drive are positioned under the front hood. Thebodywork consists of hand-laminated glass fiber material thatrests on a separate rectangular tube frame. In October 1998,MCC presented the Smart city coupé of the 450 series. Theconcept of a straightforward two-seater was revolutionary atthe time and polarized customers. Since then, the Smart brandhas become an established success in the automobile market.The small cars, now in the second, newer version (Model 451),are also available in the United States.

• The Nürburg 460 opened the plasticsera. Introduced in 1905 and in commonuse since 1945, plastic componentsgradually became a big part of carproduction. The dark brown to blackthermosetting resin was the firstindustrially produced plastic. As early asthe 1930s, there were already hundredsof molding facilities in Germany alonethat were producing Bakelite in sizablevolumes.

Key fact! Plastics!

The Nürburg 460

• Daimler are currently developing a plug-in hybrid car which is rechargedfrom a socket.

Did you know?


Raw materials: wood or plastics?

FROM WORLD WAR II TO 1970Wood is still in use and petrochemicals make their entry as a substitute or complement to wood,glass, natural rubber, metal and to some of the already available synthetic materials like Bakelite,formaldehyde-based resins, methyl methacrylate, acetate-cellulose. Commodity plastics (PS, PP,HDPE and PVC due to new plasticizers) and more advanced polymers (Polycarbonate, Polyamide,Polyesters, Epoxy, PU, Silicones) are introduced in the car and under the bonnet.Compared to wooden items, new components have to offer same or better performance and fulfilsimilar – often contradictory – requirements like impact absorption and toughness, flexibility andrigidity, shine and paint-ability.

AFTER 1970Over the years solutions will come from a combination of different polymers, copolymers,compounds, co-extrusion, multi-layers, over-moulding, surface treatment, self-skinning… Tyre-manufacturing is also a very complex assembly of different layers of elastomers (and otherconstituents since the ‘radial’ tyre) moulded together .…

WHEELS AND TYRESA car cannot run without wheels. If the wheel is a simple idea – dating from mesolithic ? – itsconstruction is not: a horse carriage wheel was trimmed out of three different woods for each ofthe three different parts:- the outer wheel had to offer resistance to cobble-stone and arching facilities.- the spokes had to avoid longitudinal splitting, shore-hardness, impact and resilience. - the hub had to resist to stress, abrasion and heat due to the rotational friction around the axle or

mandrel (SKF ball-bearing only introduced early 1900) and spokes had to clamp on.- material had to offer dimensional stability and the assembly well balanced and perfectly in line

with the track.

The craftsman had to choose between hard and soft woods, between young and old wood, betweenrigidity and weight. Ash, elm, hickory, mahogany, acacia and beech were much in use and originatedfrom forests, like the one in the French province ‘Limousin’. Where local coachbuilders becameknown for their ‘Limousines’. This became the generic name of luxury cars… Other renewable materials like fabrics from animal or vegetal origin (wool, flax, cotton…) wereselected according to availability, application and resistance (moisture, wearing, colouring, isolation,impregnation…).

1970 was a turning point for petrochemicals in automobiles.

1945 - 2000 Sustainability, Safety & Comfort

2000 - Future The next steps: Chemicals as part of the solution

• Are we going back to the future by using hybrid engines? Think of the F 700 and McLaren M/ 13 1998 which havea hybrid engine, thus reducing CO2 emission.

Chemicals and electricity/hybrid engines

In June 2009, Mercedes presented the first Germanhybrid limousine - the S 400 Hybrid. This limousinehas been designed as a ‘mild hybrid’ and cannot yetfully run on electricity. A 100% electric S Class isplanned as a plug-in hybrid for 2010.

Did you know?

The S 400 Hybrid

The F 700

The McLaren M/ 13 1998



Chemicals products in a car

Petrochemicals allow innovations for cars, lightwright plastics, and better catalytic convertors

Exhibition catalogue

Sustainable Cars: Chemicals as Part of the Solution

This catalogue describes the technical details of each car presented at the exhibition

43rdANNUAL

MEETING

3-7 October 2009


Benz Patent Motorwagen, 1886

The Karl Benz Patent Motorwagen (or motorcar), built in 1185, iswidely regarded as the first automobile, that is, a vehicledesigned to be propelled by a motor. The vehicle was awardedthe German patent, number 37435, in 1886. Benz officiallyunveiled his invention to the public on July 3, 1886 on theRingstrasse in Mannheim, Germany.

The Benz Patent Motorwagen was a three-wheeled automobilewith a rear-mounted engine. The vehicle contained many newinventions. It was constructed of steel tubing with woodworkpanels. The steel-spoked wheels and solid rubber tires wereBenz's own design. Steering was by way of a toothed rack thatpivoted the unsprung front wheel. Fully-elliptic springs wereused at the back along with a live axle and chain drive on bothsides. A simple belt system served as a single-speed transmission,varying torque between an open disc and drive disc.

The rear-mounted engine opens the door for the creation ofvery light engine. It weighted about 100 kg. Benz built moremodels of the Motorwagen, allowing the vehicle to reach amaximum speed of approximately 16 kilometers per hour(=10 miles per hour). The fuel consumption of the Benz PatentMotorwagen was remarkable: It was only 10 liters of Ligroins(a light petrol or gasoline) per 100 Kilometer.

In 1187, wooden-spoke wheels, a fuel tank and a manual leathershoe brake on the rear wheels were introduced as generalimprovements of the car model.

Bertha Benz, the wife of the inventor, chose to publicize thePatent Motorwagen in a unique manner—she took the PatentMotorwagen No. 3, supposedly without her husband's knowledge,and drove it on the first long-distance automobile trip todemonstrate its feasibility as a means to travel long distances.

Mercedes-Benz 460 Nürburg, 1928

At the suggestion of the Deutsche Bank, the two companiesDaimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie. merged in 1926to form Daimler Benz AG. The merger meant that the passengercar programs of the two companies needed to be reorganized.One result was the upper class model Nürburg 460. The reasonfor the name resided not so much in the particularly sportyfeatures of the model but more in an endurance test on theNürburgring. A 460 model had covered 20,000 kilometers herein 13 driving days. The 4.6-liter model with an eight-cylinderengine designed under the direction of Ferdinand Porsche waspresented at the Paris Automobile Show in October 1928. It wasthe first automobile with eight cylinders produced in series byDaimler. Therefore it was also called “Nürburg 8” in someprospectuses. In 1929, there was not only a variant with thenormal wheelbase, but also a short model that bore the addition“K”. However, the “K” here did not stand for “Kompressor”(“Compressor”) but for “kurz” (“short”).

The 460 K had a 240 mm shorter wheelbase and a 50 kg lighterframe. What the two variants had in common was the 80 hppowerful eight-cylinder in-line engine and the four-speedtransmission. The short wheelbase was used for 4/5-seat bodies,which could be manufactured as limousine, open touring carand Convertible D. The low framework variant of the 460 K wasalso available as the Special Convertible C “St. Moritz”. Thismodel acquired the illustrious name of the winter sports venuein the Swiss Engadine region at the beginning of 1930, after thecar beat all the other competitors in an automotive beautypageant organized there. From February 1931, the Nürburg460 model was supplied on request with overdrive or economygear. The higher price included the optional features Zeissheadlamps and an engine with a bigger cubic capacity. This wasthe birth of the Nürburg 500 (4.9-l) model with 100 hp and“overdrive”. The overdrive transmission permitted the overdriveor economy gear to be engaged to reduce speed for each of thefour forward gears. This model did not differ in appearancefrom the Nürburg 460. Production of the Nürburg 460 ended inDecember 1933.

The twenties of the last century saw the beginning of theplastics era. In 1905, the Belgian Baekeland invented Bakelit®,produced on the basis of phenol resins. The dark brown to blackthermosetting resin was the first industrially produced plastic.Particularly on account of its heat resistance and its mechanicaland chemical properties, it was (and is) also used in automobileproduction. As early as the thirties, there were already hundredsof molding facilities in Germany alone that were producingBakelit in sizable volumes.


Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, 1957

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat,closed sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors. It was thefastest production car of its day. The 300SL was best known forboth its distinctive gull wing doors and being the first-evergasoline-powered car equipped with direct fuel injection. Morethan 80% of the vehicle's total productions of approximately1400 units were sold in the US, making the Gull wing the firstMercedes-Benz which sold in bulk outside its home market.In1952, the original 300 SL (W194) scored overall wins at the 24Hours of Le Mans, in the Eifelrennen and Carrera Panamericana. Italso managed second and fourth places at the Mille Miglia in1952.

The 300SL's body was mainly steel, except for the aluminum hood,doors and trunk lid. It could also be ordered with an all-aluminium outer skin at tremendous added cost, saving 80 kg(176 lb). This innovation allowed a top speed of up to 260 km/h(161 mph) depending on gear ratio and drag, making the 300SLthe fastest production car of its time.

The engine's maintenance requirements were high. Unlike thecurrent electrically-powered fuel injection systems, themechanical fuel pump would continue to inject gasoline into theengine during the interval between shutting off the ignition andthe engine's coming to a stop; this gasoline was of course notburned, and washed the oil from the cylinder walls and ended updiluting the engine's lubricating oil, particularly if the engine wasnot driven hard enough nor long enough to reach a temperaturehigh enough to evaporate it out of the oil.

Aerodynamics played an important role in the car's speed,Mercedes-Benz engineers even placing horizontal "eyebrows" overthe wheel openings to reduce drag. Unlike many cars of the1950s, the steering was relatively precise and the four-wheelindependent suspension allowed for a reasonably comfortableride and markedly better overall handling. However, the rearswing axle, jointed only at the differential, not at the wheelsthemselves, could be treacherous at high speeds or on imperfectroads due to extreme changes in camber.

Today, the 300SL with its unique doors technological firsts, thesteel tube frame and low production numbers is considered oneof the most collectible Mercedes-Benz models. Sports CarInternational magazine ranked the 300SL as the number 5 sportscar of all time.

Mercedes-Benz C111, 1970

Mercedes C111 body shell is made completely of fiberglass. Thealmost legendary Rudolf Uhlenhaut, chief development engineerat Mercedes at the time and known to be a very fast driver,personally carried out the necessary test runs with the C 111 inHockenheim. Initially equipped with a three-rotor Wankelengine, the C 111-II already shown in 1970 received an rotaryengine with four rotors and up to 395 hp. Its body shell consistsof glassfiber reinforced plastic (GFRP), which is riveted andglued to the steel frame to enhance rigidity. The Swabian arrowwith a speed of 295 km/h never went into production despiteMercedes having already received blank checks from wealthycustomers. Economic reasons and the onset of the oil crisis in1973 finally prevented the series production of the C 111. Nor were the mid-engine coupés, originally painted orange, everused in racing. Instead, they were used in various developmentstages as testbeds almost ready for series production.

The third variant, the C 111-IID, was equipped with a five-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produced 190 hp. This vehicleachieved 16 international class records at an average speed ofmore than 250 km/h on the test track in Nardo in southern Italy.In 1977, there followed a further prototype, this time equippedwith a 230-hp turbodiesel engine. Its body shell was made ofpolyester resin with carbon fiber layers (reinforced with textileglass mats) and extremely streamlined. The CX value was at thattime a sensational 0.183, which also meant a very low fuelconsumption. On a record run in Nardo, the C 111-III achievedan average speed of 321.66 km/h over the 500 kilometers andused only 16 liters of diesel for 100 kilometers on an average. Asignificantly modest value in view of the driving performanceachieved. On May 5, 1979, the greatly modified final version ofthe flat gullwing door model, a C 111-IV with 500 hp and a twinturbocharged V8 engine, raised what was then the currentspeed record for circuits to 403.978 km/h. The technical fatherof the C 111, project manager Dr. Hans Liebold, was at the wheelduring the record run.


Mercedes-Benz ESF 24, 1974

The ESF 24 of June 1974 was based on what was then thecurrent S Class of the W 116 series of 1971. The imposingstandard automobile and baroque luxury vehicle in line with thespirit of the times with twin chrome bumper bars wastransformed into an experimental vehicle optimized to the stateof the art of research in order to reduce the consequences ofaccidents. The total length of the ESV 24 was increased by 265mm vis-à-vis the conventional S Class, because hydraulic impactabsorbers in the front, designed for a speed of up to 65 km/h,considerably lengthened the front end and thus protected thepassengers. Furthermore, belt force limiters and tensioners wereinstalled in the optically not particularly conspicuous study.Despite the numerous additional features, the vehicle’s curbweight increased by only approximately 10 percent to a total of1940 kilograms. The ESF 24 was regarded as the conclusion ofthis chapter that the U. S. Administration had initiated. Fromthen on, active and passive safety elements were essentialfeatures of every new design of the company.

The Experimental Safety Vehicles of Mercedes led for example tothe introduction of ABS (1978), driver airbag and belt tensioners(1980) and side airbag and belt force limiters (1995) into thecompany’s passenger car program. The fate of the majority ofESFs, however, was predetermined; they ended in crash testsand were destroyed in the process.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SL R107, 1988

The issue of safety has always been writ large at Mercedes andwas particularly sustained in the development of the SL: Thethree-box design with its defined crumple zones with the rigidpassenger cell in the middle, were developments of the brilliantinventor Béla Barényis, who advanced the issue of safety foryears in the Swabian company. Further safety advantages wereprovided by the modern interior with its high-qualityworkmanship: A soft instrument panel made of foamedPolyurethane and a similarly cushioned four-spoke steeringwheel with a large impact absorber provided a high level ofpassive safety in the interior.

A cleverly thought-out heating and ventilation system improvedthe occupants’ wellbeing during long journeys as an additionalsafety feature. For example there were air ducts in both doorsand these allowed hot air to emerge from the perforated doortrim, which kept the side windows from fogging.

Another unusual feature was the twin function of the light inthe glove box, which was a removable battery-operated torch atthe same time. As the result of the public discussion about fuelconsumption and the finiteness of fossil fuels, the SL 1979 ofMercedes was equipped for the first time with what is known asan econometer in the multi-function instruments. This simplegreen-red indicator showed the back pressure in the inductionpipe and conveyed a trend in the actual fuel consumption. Thenin April 1980 there appeared the 500 SL, which differedtechnically from its predecessor the 450 SL with its morepowerful and lighter engine of aluminum. Apart from the modellettering, there was optically only one way of identifying the500: the black rear spoiler of synthetic rubber on the trunk lidthat was recognizable from a long way off but was controversialamong brand fans. The R 107 series was built up to 1989,continually brought up to the state of the art technically, for atotal of 18 years and more than 237,000 times. In 1980, theanti-lock braking system ABS was introduced; two years later,customers were also able to order a driver airbag for anadditional charge.

This car led to the introduction into the car production ofcathodic dip coating. Cathaphoresis is an electrochemicalcoating process in production, in which the body-in-white isimmersed in an electrically conductive and aqueous immersionpaint and is therefore very suitable for automated coatingprocesses. In addition, cathodic dip coating ensures uniformcoating layers and is environmentally friendly, because thecoating yield is up to 98.5 percent.


Mercedes-Benz 300 CE 24, 1992

The cabriolet was extremely elegant: The rear tapered backwardand the rounded lateral top edges of the rear were the result ofelaborate wind tunnel tests. The four-seater had an elaboratefully-retractable multilayer fabric top that could be retractedfully automatically electro-hydraulically. What are known asmass dampers eliminated the vibrations on poor road surfacesthat are common to conventional cabriolet bodies. For the samereason, the developers decided to place the vehicle battery in aspecial suspension inside the spare wheel in the trunk. And eventhe interior mirror had special damper elements in its casing inorder to prevent the rearview mirror from “trembling” on poorroad surfaces. What was also characteristic of the model wasthe frequency-variable single arm windscreen wiper, a companyinvention, which wipes 86 percent of the front windscreen.Apart from ABS and airbags, an active roll-over protectionsystem provided additional safety. In the event of the vehicleoverturning, the rear head restraints automatically spring outcompletely within 0.3 seconds, thus protecting the occupantsfrom unpleasant contact with the ground. From June 1993,Mercedes also changed the nomenclature of the series into EClass with the model improvement mentioned for the brand; thechrome E now appeared in front of the sequence of figures forthe displacement on the rear lid. A distinctive optical feature was the modified radiator grill andthe star that had otherwise been fixed there moved a littlefurther back onto the hood.

It is rarely that a series has been able to demonstrate the corevalues of the Mercedes brand so impressively: Durability safety,comfort and quality were in the 124 program. The production ofthe A 124 series ended in June 1997 to the regret of many fans.Although the youngest cabriolets of this series are only 12 yearsold, the sturdy Benz is very popular with connoisseurs. After all,in the just under six years that it was built, a total ofapproximately 34,000 units of the 124 cabriolet were produced.The successor no longer had the headlights under a glass, butfour round headlights are integrated in the very shallow andstreamlined front mask, and Mercedes also took advantage ofthis in its own advertising with the claim: “See the E Class withnew eyes.” A considerably smaller, nevertheless four-seatercabriolet did not then appear again until the fall of 1997 withthe presentation of the CLK cabriolet based on the C Class(W202) at the time. In the A 124, Mercedes used for the veryfirst time Ultramid® producing the intake manifold of theengine.

Smart SMH Aspect,

After his success recipe with the Swatch watches, Nicolas G.Hayek also wanted to build a revolutionary small car in theeighties of the last century. He believed that the productionstrategies that developed by him in the watch industry couldalso be translated to a car produced in series. In December 1993,Hayek and Mercedes-Benz decide to cooperate. The result of thecooperation was the founding of the joint company MicroCompact Car (MCC).

Built originally in 1993 under the direction of Volkswagen underProject Number 301, the prototype smart aspect used a purelyelectric drive via what is known as a wheel hub engine on eachof the front wheels. The batteries that are required for theelectric drive are positioned under the front hood. The bodyworkconsists of hand-laminated glassfiber material that rests on aseparate rectangular tube frame. Finally in October 1998, MCCpresents a series vehicle, the smart city coupé of the 450 series.The concept of a straightforward two-seater was revolutionaryfor conditions at the time and polarized customers. In themeantime, however, the brand smart has become establishedand is a success in the automobile market. The small cars, nowin the second, newer version (Model 451), are now evenavailable in the United States. The original concept of theelectric drive has now been taken up again by smart. Since thisyear, what are known as mild hybrids, which receive supportfrom an electric engine in addition to the combustion engine,are being tested in England in a fleet trial. A solely electricallyoperated variant is currently being developed by Daimler aswhat is known as a plug-in hybrid, which can be recharged froma socket.

The idea of the plastic body shell of the first prototypes has gotitself accepted in series production. In a smart, all the visiblebody shell parts apart from the strong Tridion safety cell of steelare made of plastic that is not painted but colored all the waythrough and, in the event of damage, the parts can be easilyreplaced without any problem.


McLaren F1, Showcar 1998

In the 1998 season, the dominance of the Silver Arrow wasclearly noticeable even at the opening race in Australia.Obviously the team from Woking in England had been best ableto implement the technical regulations that were new for thatyear’s racing season. The Mercedes-McLaren drivers Häkkinen(winner) and Coulthard, second place, impressively outclassedthe competition by the margin of at least a lap. Under thedirection of Adrian Newey, the brilliant racing car designer whohad joined the team in 1997, the previous year’s model, theMP4/13 was developed. It was his first completely designedvehicle for McLaren Mercedes. In the F1 racer of 1998, theBriton Newey even then used the braking energy for chargingthe batteries, which in their turn took over the electricity supplyfor the water and auxiliary oil pumps for a limited time.

This highly modern “hybrid system” developed 40 additional hpin the short term and to discussions with the FIA on account ofpresumed violations of the rules. A mechanical braking systemthat automatically operated the rear wheel brake depending onthe steering angle also caused displeasure among the otherteams. The MP4/13 chassis consists of a laminate ofhoneycomb/aluminum structure and carbon fiber. The body shellis also made of hand-laminated carbon. Its 3.0-l V10 enginedevelops approximately 780 bhp; the gear change is operatedvia a semiautomatic six-speed transmission. Ready to go,together with the driver and operating liquids such as fuel andcoolant, the whole automobile weighted just 600 kilograms. Thehigh-octane racing fuel and the engine oil came from the teampartner Mobil. The decision regarding the early change to thenewly developed Bridgestone tires no doubt also made asignificant contribution to the success at the time.

The Finn Mika Häkkinen passed the winning post first in theMP4/13 in half of the total of 16 F1 races in the 1998 season.Team colleague Coulthard won only one race, the Grand Prix ofSan Marino. Despite the dominance of McLaren Mercedes, thechampionship was not decided until the final race; thecompetitor Ferrari suffered a burst tire and did not thereforefeature in the scoring. Häkkinen ran up a total of 156 points andthe year ended for him for the first time with the winning of theF1 drivers’ world championship. That year the team of WestMcLaren Mercedes also won the title of the constructors’ worldchampionship.

The idea of an hybrid system became more and more prominentin the car industry. Testing new engines, chemicals and electricsystems is now always done on racing cars, before beingmassively produced on cars for the general public.

Mercedes S Class, 2009

Ever since the seventies of the last century, the top modelfrom Mercedes Benz has been what is known as the SClass. It is true that the predecessor models were alreadycalled for example 280 SE, but it was the W 116 series of1972 that was officially called S Class. Since then, fourgenerations of the globally successful luxury limousinehave been developed, including the current 221 series.The four-door flagship of Mercedes is traditionally theimage bearer in the company as the forerunner for themost modern technologies. Numerous innovations suchas ABS, seatbelt pretensioners, airbags, Electronic StabilityProgram (ESP), navigation device with map display(COMAND), distance radar (Distronic), infrared Night ViewAssist feature or also a fully automatic emergency brakesystem first appeared in the top Mercedes series.

In June this year, the company presented the furtherdeveloped version of the S Class and at the same time thefirst German hybrid limousine, the S 400 Hybrid. Thislimousine designed as a mild hybrid cannot yet runcompletely electrically. Its newly designed V6 gasolineengine develops 279 hp. In addition, an electric enginedelivers a further 20 hp to an overall system performanceof 299 hp at a torque of 385 Newton meters. The lithiumion battery that is installed is recharged in overrun andwhen the cars brakes are applied (recuperation). Itsstandard average consumption is 7.9 liters per 100kilometers, which is noticeably low for a vehicle of itssize. The CO2 emission level is 186 grams CO2. A fullyelectric S Class is planned as a plug-in hybrid for 2010. Inthe S 300 Bluetec Hybrid, a 2.2-l diesel engine is todevelop 204 hp, and the electric engine will deliver afurther 20 hp. Operated electrically, the S 300 BH is saidto be able to travel up to 30 kilometers.

A planned variant for the coming year is to be the S 400Bluetec Hybrid with a total 265 hp and 630 Newtonmeters of torque with a remarkable average consumptionof just 5.8 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers.


Mercedes F 700, EXPERIMENTAL CAR

Mercedes-Benz shows the luxury long-distance sedan of thefuture with the F 700. Apart from the unusual design, known asAqua Dynamic, with its soft, flowing forms, the four-seaterradiates top modern technology. High-performance light-emitting diodes (LEDs) using series connected optics take overthe function of the driving and daytime running light.

The drive of the F 700 is a very unconventional combustionengine, what is known as the Diesotto with only 1.8-literdisplacement. It combines the advantages of the low-emissionspark-ignition engine with the consumption benefits of thediesel principle. What is known as controlled homogeneouschange combustion ignition (self-ignition) of the diesel istransplanted into the spark-ignition engine for the first timeand is responsible for very low consumption values withreduced pollutant emissions at the same time. Nevertheless, theF 700 is a high-powered grand touring sedan. The four-cylinderDiesotto is twin turbo-charged and develops an impressive 238hp. Additional support is provided by a hybrid module whenstarting, with a further 20 hp from an electric engine that ispositioned between transmission and engine. In the standardcycle, the F 700 consumes on an average just 5.3 liters per 100kilometers, which corresponds to a measured carbon dioxideemission (CO2) of 127 grams per kilometer.

A further innovation of the F 700 is the elaborate chassissystem, dubbed PRE-SCAN by Mercedes. Two laser sensors in thefront headlamp units provide a picture of the road’s surface andpass the signals to a control unit that influences the adaptiveactive chassis. The F 700 recognizes ahead how rigidly orcomfortably its chassis must react to the features of the road.The driver’s door, too, observes its surroundings. In the mirror ofthe PRE-SCAN door there is also a laser scanner that checks thearea in which the door swings open for obstacles. In the eventof a threatening collision, the door is arrested at its maximumopening angle by means of a controllable hydraulic cylinder.

What is also remarkable is the spacious interior concept of the5.18-meter long F 700. Large lateral windows and two glassroofs allow a lot of light to enter the interior of the four-seater,luxuriously equipped with leather and cork.

You are kindly invited to view

a transparent car at the Hotel

InterContinental Berlin:

Hotel InterContinental Berlin

Budapester Strasse 2

10787 Berlin - Germany

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sustainable cars: chemicals as part of the solution

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