Mercedes-Benz is adding an economical and environmentally friendly variant to the E‑Class Natural Gas Drive family. The bi-fuel (bivalent) E200 can run on both petrol and affordable, environmentally friendly natural gas. The benefits of running the car on natural gas include a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with comparable operation using petrol, and half the costs for fuel. The E 200 NGD will be available from December 2013, for EUR 47,808.25 (USD 63,380) including VAT.
The advantages of the E 200 Natural Gas Drive mainly come to the fore when it is running on natural gas. It uses 4.3 kg of natural gas per 100 kilometres (NEDC combined – New European Driving Cycle), which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 116 g per kilometre. The natural gas mode is also kinder to the environment than petrol or diesel engines thanks to its cleaner exhaust gases. The new E 200 NGD automatically switches seamlessly to running on petrol when the natural gas tank is empty. On unleaded petrol , the high-tech, four-cylinder engine needs just 6.3 litres (NEDC combined) for every 100 kilometres driven (CO2 emissions: 147 g per kilometre).
Running the engine on natural gas reduces fuel bills by more 50 percent in comparison to running on petrol. Driving 20,000 kilometres a year, motorists can save more than 1000 euros (USD 1330) a year in Germany.
The bivalent (bi-fuel) drive also offers advantages with respect to the car’s range, which is more than 400 kilometres when running on natural gas. The combined fuel range is to more than 1300 kilometres. With the optional 80-litre petrol tank, the E 200 Natural Gas Drive can drive as far as 1600 kilometres without stopping for petrol.
The natural gas is stored securely in three containers – one behind the rear backrest and two under the floor of the boot. Together they hold 121.5 litres (19.5 kg) of natural gas. Despite the additional gas tank, the large boot offers 400 litres of space.
The heart of the E 200 Natural Gas Drive is the new four-cylinder petrol engine with spray-guided direct injection, part of the BlueDIRECT family of Mercedes‑Benz petrol engines. The engine generates an output of 115 kW (156 hp) and maximum torque of 270 newton metres at 1250 revolutions per minute. This allows for a highly dynamic driving performance: the vehicle manages the standard sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.4 seconds, with a top speed of 220 km/h.
Also on board: an ECO start/stop system that adds to the efficiency of the drive system, which reduces consumption by 1.2 kg of natural gas per 100 kilometres in comparison to the predecessor model. This is an improvement of more than 20 percent. In natural gas mode the E 200 Natural Gas Drive qualifies for the efficiency class A+, or B when running on petrol. In both cases the vehicle already meets the EU6 standard valid from 2015.
(Source: Daimler)
