The first three pointed Plug in, that will be the S550 PHEV.

Efficiency = Performance

The new Mercedes-Benz S550 PLUG-IN HYBRID blends an ultramodern hybrid drive configuration with the unique innovations and the luxurious equipment and appointments of the S-Class. The luxury sedan impresses with exceptional dynamism and efficiency. Thanks to standard pre-entry climate control it also offers unique climate comfort. The first certified three-liter luxury sedan in the world is a further milestone on the road to emission-free mobility.

"The S550 PLUG-IN HYBRID is the first luxury sedan with the performance of a V8 and the fuel consumption of a compact model. The greatest challenge in this is to translate efficiency into superior performance. In this respect there is a highly interesting parallel with our successful Formula 1 racing car, which likewise has a turbocharged V6 engine and a high-tech hybrid drive," says Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the Daimler Board of Management responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

"The new S550 PLUG-IN HYBRID offers our customers the entire range of innovations that make our new S-Class so successful, and thanks to its intelligent operating strategy ensures outstanding driving pleasure and dynamism combined with the highest efficiency. Moreover, it allows completely emission-free driving for up to 20 miles," adds Ola Källenius, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The Mercedes-Benz S550 PLUG-IN HYBRID offers a system output of 436 hp and 479 lb-ft torque, sprints from 0 to 62 mph in just 5.2 seconds and can drive up to 20 miles purely electrically. Key elements of this impressive output are the V6 biturbo and the intelligent hybrid drive. The new high-voltage lithium-ion battery with an energy content of 8.7 kWh can be externally recharged via the charging socket in the right side of the rear bumper.

The S550 Plug-In Hybrid model has environmental certificates. These document the model's environmental performance from development through to recycling across the entire lifecycle, and the performance is certified to internationally recognized standards by independent experts.

Regarding CO2 emissions, the certificate of the S550 PLUG-IN HYBRID states: "Over the entire lifecycle encompassing manufacture, use of over 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles) and recycling, clear advantages result when compared with the S550. External charging with the European electricity mix can cut CO2 emissions by some 43 percent (35 tonnes). Through the use of renewably generated hydroelectricity a 56 percent reduction (46 tonnes) is possible."

The hybrid transmission is based on the 7-speed automatic transmission. The plug-in-hybrid system in the S-Class is based on the Mercedes-Benz parallel hybrid modular system. The common system-specific feature is the additional clutch integrated between combustion engine and electric motor. On the one hand, it decouples the combustion engine during purely electric operation; on the other hand, if the combustion engine is employed it affords the possibility to move off drawing on the performance of a wet start-up clutch. The clutch then substitutes for the torque converter and requires no additional space owing to its complete integration in the torque converter housing.

Haptic accelerator pedal: support for the driver

Climb in, start, drive off and, as well as exemplary efficiency, on request experience via kickdown the special acceleration of the electric motor – this is how easy hybrid driving is with the new S550 PLUG-IN HYBRID. For in everyday use it moves just as easily as any other automatic transmission car.

In the background, depending on the chosen operating mode, the intelligent operating strategy automatically selects the ideal combination of internal combustion engine and electric motor and in so doing not only adapts its strategy according to the charge status of the battery; it also foresightedly adjusts it according to the traffic or route. Anyone wanting to can also intervene manually and with the aid of four operating modes and three transmission modes regulate the hybrid interplay themselves.

What is known as the haptic accelerator pedal can signal via a double impulse when drivers should take their foot off the accelerator for sailing and recuperating. During electric operation it can supply the driver with feedback on the switch-on point of the combustion engine. The energy flow can be shown in all operating states in the instrument cluster and in the central display if this is selected by the customer.

The technical data at a glance:

Model	S 550 PLUG-IN HYBRID
Internal combustion engine:
Number of cylinders/arrangement	6/V
Mixture formation	High-pressure injection, 2 turbochargers
Displacement (cc)	2996
Rated output (hp at rpm)	329 hp at 5250-6000
Rated torque	354 lb-ft at at 1600-4000
Electric motor:
Output (kW/hp)	85 kW / 114 hp
Torque (Nm / lb-ft)	340 Nm / 251 lb-ft
System output (kW/hp)	325 kW / 436 hp
System torque (Nm/lb-ft)1	650 Nm / 479 lb-ft
Consumption combined from (l/100 km)2	2.8
CO2 emissions combined from (g/km)2	65
Efficiency class	A+
Electric range (miles)	20
Charge time 20%-100% (400 V/16 A – 230 V/8 A)3 (h)	2 – 4.1
Acceleration 0-62 mph (s)	5.2
Top speed (mph)1	130 mph
Top speed electric (mph)1	87

¹ Electronically limited, ² In accordance with NEDC, ³ Charge time at 230 V/8 A e.g. at a commercially available socket. Through settings on the control element of the charging cable shorter charge times can be realised (standard setting: 8 A), provided that the power supply system is designed for this. Charge time at 400 V/16 A e.g. at a wallbox. The voltage and current ratings indicated refer to the power supply infrastructure and can be limited by the car.

⁴ Sales price in Germany, incl. 19 percent VAT

Hybrid Mercedes S-Class, £90k for 20 miles of hybrid power, is it worth it ? Too right it is.!

• UK prices for one of the most advanced saloon cars in the world announced today
• Eight-cylinder power, four-cylinder economy: returns 100.9 mpg, emits 65 g/km of CO₂ and is exempt from road tax, 100 per cent discount on the London Congestion Charge
• Priced from £87,965 on-the-road – subject to five per cent BIK rate
• First UK deliveries due to start later this month

Today prices are announced for an S-Class that can return 100.9 mpg, emits 65 g/km of CO₂, can accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 5.2-seconds before reaching a limited 155 mph and yet is exempt from road tax and receives a 100 per cent discount on the London Congestion Charge. The S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID lays claim to being one of the most advanced saloon cars in the world.

In the UK the car will be offered in long wheelbase form and will cost from £87,965 on-the-road and is subject to a BIK rate of just five per cent.

The S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID equipment specifications are based on the conventional S 500 L AMG Line – among the highlights fitted as standard are 19-inch AMG alloy wheels, AMG body styling for the front and rear bumpers, the LED intelligent light system, COMAND Online, noise insulating glass, leather upholstery and the front seat memory package.

Powered by a V6 biturbo petrol engine producing 333 hp and an electric motor developing 116 hp, the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID generates a total of 442 hp and 650 Nm of torque.

Despite this mighty performance, the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID can travel over 20-miles on purely electrical power.

Based on the steel and aluminium chassis structure of the conventional S-Class, the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID is the third Hybrid model in the line-up, following on from the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid and S 400 Hybrid variants. Unlike its predecessors, the 8.7 kWh lithium-ion batteries in the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID can be topped up using external charging devices such as fast chargers.  A fullcharge on a typical public, three phase power point takes around two hours.

The technology in the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID is integrated to ensure as little energy as possible is wasted – the COMAND system looking ahead of where the car’s travelling to predict where energy can be recuperated, on downhill sections, for example. Likewise, the car will look to regenerate as much power as possible in advance of entering urban areas where the electric-only driving mode can be deployed.

Likewise, the car can, if desired, gently advise the driver on the most efficient driving style – sending a pulse through the accelerator to indicate when sailing mode can be engaged (shutting down the internal combustion engine) and the accelerator itself can be released, harvesting energy and boosting the range of the car. Likewise, the predictive gearshift strategy uses the car’s radar system to sense if there’s a car in front and alters the gearshift accordingly based on the likelihood that the driver will wish to overtake – improving efficiency as well as the responsiveness of the car when required.

As with any S-Class, the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID aims to set the benchmark in technology – both functional and comfort-orientated. For example, the new variant uses a tablet or smartphone-based system to allow you to pre-heat or pre-cool the car ahead of your arrival through the innovative Connect me system. The system can also remotely relay information to the driver when away from the car on the charge status, the predicted range and when the next service is due.

Comfort features available on the car include the choice of seven different ambient colours in which the interior is bathed, front and rear seats that can replicate a hot stone massage as well as either heating or cooling you, the ability of the left rear seat to recline to 43.5 degrees, seatbelt-mounted airbags, a perfume diffuser system called Air Balance that also cleans the air entering the cabin, gently heated armrests and Magic Body Control – which uses stereo cameras to read the road ahead and iron out any imperfections through making tiny alterations to the suspension system.

First production of the car starts next month with deliveries in the UK due in late November.