Mercedes-Benz is now offering its most advanced hybrid technology in the C-Class. With a range of 20 miles in purely electric mode, local emission-free driving is now a reality.
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Its four-cylinder gasoline engine, in conjunction with a powerful electric motor, gives it a total system output of 275 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. This allows the new C350 plug-in hybrid to deliver the performance of a sports car while still offering exemplary fuel consumption. The standard Airmatic air suspension and convenient Pre-Entry Climate Control system that can be controlled via the internet. The C350 plug-in hybrid will be available in U.S. dealerships in the fall.
Following the C300 BlueTEC Hybrid, the C350 plug-in hybrid is the second hybrid model in the new C-Class and the second Mercedes-Benz model to feature plug-in hybrid technology.
The C350 uses the most advanced form of hybrid technology currently available. Its electrical energy storage unit is a high-voltage lithiumion battery with a total capacity of 6.2 kWh, which can be charged from an external power source to effectively contribute to the low consumption and emission figures. The battery can be quickly recharged at a wallbox, at one of the growing number of public charging points or even charged via a standard domestic socket.
From a displacement of just under two liters, it produces 208 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Its direct injection system with spray-guided combustion uses electronically precise controlled multiple injection and fast multi-spark ignition to deliver outstanding performance. The electric motor of the C350 plug-in hybrid has an output of up to 80 horsepower and delivers 251 lb-ft of torque. Overall, the C350 plug-in hybrid offers a total system output of 275 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque.
The hybrid module of the standard 7-speed automatic transmission 7G-Tronic Plus incorporates both the electric motor and an additional clutch between the combustion engine and the electric motor. When driving in all-electric mode, this decouples the combustion engine from the drive train. It also offers the possibility of moving off using the combustion engine with the performance of a wet start-up clutch. In this case, the clutch is a substitute for the torque converter.
The Sedan can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 130 mph. The C350 plug-in hybrid also offers the possibility of driving up to 20 miles in all-electric mode, and thus completely free of CO2 emissions locally. ■
A low pressure wave forming along a cold front will track across the New England coast this morning, bringing a period of rain, heavy at times for much of New England, especially for Maine today.
