For the fourth time in a row, Mercedes-Benz had the largest electric fleet participating atthe Silvretta E-Auto Rallye in Montafon.
A special premiere at Mercedes-Benz shows that electric mobility has arrived already on the market. As the first customers Klaus Ambacher and Klaus Ege meet with their fuel cell vehicle the high alpine challenges: “We are sure that the future of powertrain engineering belongs to the fuel cell. For two years now we have ridden the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL in the company keenly and want to be part of this electro mobility summit absolutely.”
“Our electric vehicles are convincing even on this demanding terrain and ensure a lot of fun while driving – not only in city traffic,” says Christoph Horn, Head of Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars and adds: “Thanks to our attractive portfolio of serial electric cars, we believe that in the future more and more smart and Mercedes-Benz customers will take part in electric car rallies such as the legendary Silvretta.”
Silvretta E-Auto Rallye in figures
At almost 350 kilometres in length with uphill gradients of almost 17 percent and a downhill gradient exceeding 15 percent in places, the course travels through this high mountain region at over 2000 metres above sea level and, thus, requires a high level of precision. After the start in Partenen, the driver teams will be covering up to 133 kilometres per lap along winding roads.
Every hundredth of a second counts as the drivers – equipped only with stopwatches – head to the ends of the various stages. It is not, however, the top speed that gets them onto the winner’s podium of this three-day rallye through the Montafon’s alpine landscape – skill and a consistent driving style are crucial.
Mercedes-Benz fields the largest electric fleet
The broad range of electric vehicles at the Silvretta E-Auto Rallye, from smart to the SLS through to the hydrogen-powered B-Class, indicates that Daimler is a pioneer in the field of electric mobility and will continue to focus on sustainable driving systems featuring battery and fuel cell technology into the future.
With zero local emissions, the SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive super sports car incorporates technology from the high-tech world of Formula One, making it the most exclusive way to tackle the altitude with an electric drive system. The gull-wing model is impressive both for its sporty design and powerful performance: four electric motors provide a combined maximum output of 552 kW and torque of 1000 Nm. Even if victory is not won at Silvretta with speed, with the ability to cover the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, the SLS is the world’s fastest electrically-powered production vehicle. The car has recently proven this in a record time of 7:56,234 minutes on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. Thus, the electric AMG super sports car is the first mass-produced electric vehicle that has circuited the legendary racetrack in less than eight minutes.
As one of the most experienced in the field the smart fortwo electric drive hurdles the challenging mountain stages with routine. Thanks to its powertrain system, the electric motor delivers maximum output of 55 kW and 130 Nm of torque for optimum acceleration. Also, in terms of speed, this nippy little car reaches the 60 km/h mark in less than 5 seconds. As the first series production electric car from a German automotive manufacturer, more than 2.000 smart fortwo electric drive were produced and supplied to European customers. In Germany the two-seater has been already market leader in the range of battery-electric cars. This year, production is being steadily expanded to meet great worldwide demand.
For the first time, two smart BRABUS electric drive will also be enjoying the mountain air. With maximum output of 60 kW, this city runabout features a new BRABUS sports suspension, aerodynamic detachable body components and monobloc light-alloy wheels to emphasize its dynamic, sporty appearance while delivering plenty of driving enjoyment.
