Still Possibilities Left to Explore

Herbert Kohler, head of Body and Powertrain Research and Chief Environmental Officer of DaimlerChrysler, on CO2 emissions, hybrid drive, and the future of fuel cell mobility.

 

Enlarge   Herbert Kohler in the Research Vehicles exhibit at the Mercedes-Benz Museum Untertürkheim 49°N/9°E 360 DEGREES: Climate change is more topical than ever, and CO2 emissions from automobiles are a widely discussed theme, along with fuel efficiency and alternative powertrains. DaimlerChrysler wins points for manufacturing the 67-mpg smart, but on the other hand, the company offers a 500-horsepower SUV that gets 15 miles per gallon. How do you justify a car like that? Kohler: What matters is the average consumption for the entire fleet. We do produce small numbers of exotic high-end models that respond to particular needs and emotions. We can justify it by pointing to their minuscule influence on the overall average consumption of our fleet. What’s significant is that in the high-volume models, which include the smart, we have much lower fuel consumption, with a correspondingly large effect on the fleet average.

360 DEGREES: In 1998, European manufacturers promised to reduce the CO2 emissions of their fleet by 25 percent from the 1995 level – that is, from an average of 185 grams down to 140 grams per kilometer by 2008. No major manufacturer is on schedule to meet that goal. Was the target missed?

Kohler: You have to understand that the value of 140 grams per kilometer was intended to be an average for all carmakers producing in Europe. Not every company has to achieve 140 grams by 2008. Within the framework provided by the agreement, makers of premium segment automobiles can come in a little higher, and those producing compact and subcompact cars come in below the limit. It’s a fact that the fuel consumption of the average Mercedes-Benz has fallen by 20 percent since 1995. No other European manufacturer can make that claim. Recall as well that we have no way of knowing exactly which models will sell what quantities in 2008. There’s still time to position some products that are in the final phases of development. There are still possibilities left to explore. I know it will be a tight squeeze, but wait for the end of 2008.

360 DEGREES: Doesn’t it bother you, when you read CO2 emissions statistics, that the company’s most prestigious products tend to bring up the rear?

Kohler: A competitor that makes nothing but compact cars is obviously going to do better than one primarily active in the premium segment. Nobody argues over why a 2,500-square-foot house consumes more energy than an 800-square-foot apartment. We should avoid those kinds of comparisons. Anyone can see that a heavy car is going to use more fuel than a light car –you’re moving a greater mass. But don’t forget that a larger vehicle may be carrying seven people. In addition, significant technological advances – particularly ones affecting fuel efficiency – enter the market from the top, finding application in larger, more expensive cars first. It’s a matter of which model can handle the development costs. But I don’t want to dress anything up. Whatever the statistics say, we need to achieve the best possible figures – but always in the context of a fair comparison. Our goal is to be the best in our class in every measure, including CO2 emissions, and we’re going to great lengths to get there.

360 DEGREES: DaimlerChrysler has made significant investments in fuel cell technology. Is that the powertrain of the future? People mention hybrid as an alternative, or the electric car.

Kohler: Fuel cell drive is the only technology with zero emissions directly out of the vehicle. And no other system is as energy-efficient. It’s twice as efficient as a modern diesel engine, and nothing will change that. Electric cars need batteries, which are currently the biggest problem, and we still don’t see a way to increase their range. A fill-up from the grid takes hours. No – we see the fuel cell as offering the biggest potential. Our goal is to get a fuel cell car competitive and ready for series production between 2012 and 2015. We’re making good progress. Our fleet is now 100 vehicles – the largest in the world, what with concept cars, passenger cars, light trucks, and the Citaro city buses. Those vehicles have logged nearly 2 million miles, which gives us more data, know-how, and experience than any other manufacturer.

360 DEGREES: But hybrids are all over the news. George Clooney drove one to the Oscars. German politicians are calling on citizens to buy hybrids. What do you think of the discussion?

Kohler: It has an irrational element. Studies have shown that in most cases, under realistic conditions of use, a diesel gets as good or better mileage than a comparable hybrid. Because of their much higher market share, diesel vehicles contribute much more to sustainability than the total 350,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide. When DaimlerChrysler boasts of having reduced fuel consumption by 30 percent since 1990, it’s largely thanks to the new generation of diesel engines. So we shouldn’t get carried away.

360 DEGREES: So what significance does DaimlerChrysler assign to hybrids?

Kohler: Believe me, Hybrid drive is an important theme. Our strategy is to offer our customers multiple options – hybrid drive and the most modern diesel among them. At our hybrid development center in Troy, Michigan, we’re working with GM and BMW on “two-mode” hybrid drive. Unlike today’s hybrids, its advantages aren’t limited to stop-and-go driving. We’re already producing the most fuel-efficient light truck on earth, the Canter Eco Hybrid, with Mitsubishi Fuso. We’re the market leader in the public transportation sector. In North America, Orion hybrid buses are selling like hotcakes. We’re filling 1,500 orders, most of them from New York City. Several hundred of the buses are already in use, and not only are their fuel savings considerable – they put out significantly lower levels of emissions.

360 DEGREES: DaimlerChrysler is cooperating with BMW to develop a hybrid drive for a premium vehicle. Do high R&D costs make strange bedfellows?

Kohler: Bundling resources is the order of the day. We’ve learned that such cooperation brings enormous advantages. The fear that it might water down the product’s identity is unfounded. Even when you share early stages of development, customization and integration into the vehicle take place independently. So don’t worry – you’ll still be able to tell a Mercedes from a BMW. We cooperate with Ford on the fuel cell drive, but a Ford Focus with a fuel cell handles completely differently than a vehicle from DaimlerChrysler. There’s a lot of potential in such alliances.

360 DEGREES: Now that producers are sharing their most intimate secrets, I guess industrial espionage is a thing of the past.

Kohler: I wouldn’t say that. The important question remains, what is the other guy doing with our common knowledge? How is the novel powertrain being integrated into the vehicle? What details are being adjusted, and how? When will it be launched? What will it cost? That’s the know-how that’s interesting. So I would say: Competitive analysis is going to stay exciting.