Daimler Enters Seven Cars in the 2011 Silvretta EV Race

Having lost in front of Audi and their R8 e-tron last year, the Stuttgart-based auto giant announced it will field the biggest lineup of electric vehicles at the start of the Silvretta E-Auto Rally Montafon 2011. Daimler will thus bring to the grid the smart fortwo electric drive, the B-Klasse F-CELL, the A-Klasse E-CELL, and even the SLS AMG E-CELL.

But speed is not the key feature of the electric cars that will race from July 7 to 9, as the three-day rally also requires regularity and skill. Covering a total distance of almost 300 kilometers and a total difference in altitude of 5500 meters, the electric car rally is almost twice as long as the premiere in 2010 and even more demanding.

Taken Daimler’s participating vehicles one at a time, we’ll remind you that the smart fortwo electric drive comes with a range of 135 km, while the Mercedes-Benz B-Klasse F-CELL runs on hydrogen and has a range of about 400 km. On the other hand, the A-Klasse E-CELL offers an operating range of over 200 km.

Finally, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-CELL - with a peak output of 392 kW and peak torque of 880 Nm - will come to prove its might on the winding Alpine course, before coming out on the market in 2013.

“By taking part in the electric rally, Daimler demonstrates once again how practical and reliable its electric cars already are today. The higher demands of this year's rally pose no obstacle to the competing vehicles,” a company statement reads.