Mercedes-Benz has unveiled their latest hybrid, the S500 Plug-In Hybrid. A Plug-In Hybrid means this Mercedes wouldn’t have to depend on the engine or regenerative braking system for its charging. Along with the above mentioned charging techniques, the S500 will have an external charging socket to juice up its lithium-ion battery. The S500 would be the third hybrid model of the S-Class among the S400 Hybrid and the S300 BlueTec Hybrid. The S500 Hybrid features second-generation recuperative braking system and anticipatory Intelligent Hybrid energy management system.
What drives the Mercedes S500 Plug-In Hybrid is a new 3.0-litre, V6 turbocharged engine which produces 328 BHP of power and a maximum torque of 480 Nm. Coupled to the petrol engine is a 107 BHP electric synchronous motor totalling the power output to 435 BHP. There are four drive modes at work at the press of a button. The E-Mode drives purely on battery which has a range of 30 kms. The E-Save mode saves a fully charged battery for later use. The other two modes are Charge (charges the battery during drive) and of course the Hybrid mode.
The S500 has a top speed of 250 km/hr and sprints from 0-100 km/hr in 5.5 seconds. In the hybrid mode, the S500 returns a mileage of 33 km/l and carbon emissions of 69 gm/km. An interesting fact about the intelligence of the aforementioned Intelligent Hybrid system. The system can adjust the hybrid drive according to the ascend, descend and speed limits for the next 8 kms by inputs from the navigation data. The Mercedes S500 Plug-In Hybrid will make its public debut at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with sales starting next year.
