In the more immediate future, it’s not far-off that an S-Class will debut with electric motors in all four of its wheels. This technology has been amply demonstrated by the electric SLS and an electric S-Class needs only to have a better range than that demonstrated by the electric SLS to be a practical mode of transport for the luxury car set.

At the Frankfurt Auto Show, smart presented its Forvision concept car that could be a glimpse into the next-generation Fortwo.

As befits a concept for the future, innovative new design and material concepts are explored in the Forvision, such as the use of carbon fiber reinforced with epoxy resins, which was used for the passenger cell and the doors. Also explored in the concept was the use of plastic wheels, which also offer significant weight savings like the carbon fiber passenger cell. All these materials provide 50% weight savings compared to traditional materials. For these innovations, Mercedes collaborated with BASF, the German chemical giant.

The concept car is powered by an electric motor, and the solar panel mounted on the roof section will help provide current to drive the plug-in EV.

Mercedes is really serious about further developing its F-Cell technology, as evidenced by a concept car it very quietly developed in time for the 2011 Frankfurt Show. Called the F125, it features gullwing doors like the SLS supercar and is powered by a hydrogen cell. Like the electric SLS, it’s got four electric motors behind the wheels with a total output in the region of 230 horsepower.

As with all electric-motor driven cars, full torque is immediately available, so this car can hit 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. With its hydrogen fuell cell, range is 620 miles and in case you run out before getting to currently scarce hydrogen refuelling stations, you can go 30 more miles on the battery reserve.

There’s no word, official or otherwise, on what the F125 represents in the production line, but it would be safe to say that some design cues will make it to future Mercedes vehicles that we’ll see on the road.

You know electric cars are really in our future when premier Mercedes tuner Brabus not only develops an EV, but sets up a division to develop such vehicles, called Brabus Zero Emission. One of its first developments that has been made public at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show is its E-Class based 4WD Full Electric concept car.

Compared to the supercar performance that Brabus cars normally show, this car can be best described as having adequate performance, hitting 0-100 km/h in just under 7 seconds. But having a top speed of 220 km/h without emitting a single gram of CO2 or any other particulate is performance of a different sort.

Notably, it has a range of 350 kilometers, and can be recharged from a 220V AC outlet, so it’s a very practical car that’s not necessarily limited to an urban environment. Since it’s a Mercedes E-Class, one can expect the high standard of comfort and luxury Benzes are known for. In addition, the electrive drive means a ride orders of magnitude quieter and smoother than a car driven by a conventional engine.

The exact course of the accident and the question of guilt are still unknown, but local police are involved to solve any problems. Mercedes-Benz is currently examining the possibility of repairing the vehicle, but it will probably just be replaced with a spare car that they’ve been hauling with them for the past few months.

Confirmation of this came as the electric S-Class was pictured while out winter testing. Apart from the hybrid versions, the standard range of engines will be Mercedes’ new V6 and V8 MoVe gasoline engines, plus a 2.2 liter diesel like the one found in the currently available S250. This powerplant is the smallest that has ever been made available for the S-Class. Hints of the S-Class’ design may be seen in the F800 concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show last March. As has been the case ever since, new technologies such as  heads-up displays and driver-oriented virtual displays will be introduced. The S-Class has long been a platform for the introduction of new technologies from Mercedes-Benz and the next generation should not disappoint.

The war is raging between Mercedes-Benz and fellow German automotive rival BMW in the field of car sharing. To keep ahead of the competition, Daimler has just announced the expansion of its car2go car sharing program in Amsterdam this week.

The car2go car sharing program had been tried over and over in both Ulm and Texas, thus ensuring officials in Daimler of its huge potential in other European countries. And so, Daimler promises to bring its electronic car2go vehicles into Amsterdam before the year ends. It will mark the world’s first ever and largest collection of electric cars meant for sharing between customers.

A total of 300 electric Smart vehicle units will be dispatched to one of the most famous cities in the entire European continent. Daimler makes sure that none of their cars will ever run out of energy. Thus, an immense charging infrastructure will be set up at the same time in order to provide energy for all 300 car2go units.

Amsterdam alderman for the city’s air quality, transportation and traffic explains that they “are delighted that car2go has opted for Amsterdam as one of the first cities in the world to start this electric car sharing project.”

There had already been reports that there will be an actual smart Roadster likely headed for Geneva. Now, the Daimler company has released a complete gallery of images showing the highly-anticipated electric vehicle concept—the smart Forspeed—pegged to take center stage at the upcoming 2011 Geneva Motor Show this March.

The Forspeed noticeably has no roof, and in this it is quite similar in appearance to the Crossblade, which was a limited edition of the smart City Cabrio car with a Brabus-tuned power plant. The Forspeed, however, will never see the light of day in a smart dealership because it is intended as a design showcase for the next generation of the fortwo line along with a planned reintroduction of the five-door forfour vehicle.

Since it’s a design concept, smart really went all out on some elements of the car—the lights, the lack of external door handles plus a unique tonneau cover design that can optionally only cover only the passenger’s side. Still, the entire concept is all about showing how fun electric cars can be.

The Forspeed concept is fitted with an electric motor that gives out 41 horsepower that pushes the car up to 37 mph (60 kph) within 5.5 ticks. You might think that Forspeed is a misnomer in this case, but hey—it gets to the 75-mph top speed one full second faster than the conventional fortwo electric drive. The concept is pegged to run a full 85 miles on just one full charge, and the batteries can be recharged to 80 percent of capacity within a mere 45 minutes.

Do check out the smart Forspeed official image set after this.

After 100 of these vans were successfully used in Berlin and Stuttgart, the Vito E-Cell will prove its suitability for everyday applications in Spain. The Vito E-CELL is not a proof of concept vehicle. It is the first van of its kind to roll off the series-production line, just like any other Vito. With a payload of around 900 kilograms plus a load compartment with no restrictions on use whatsoever the Vito E-Cell assumes all the usual transportation duties of any vehicle in its class. The Vito E-Cell’s batteries are kept in a storage compartment beneath the floor. These state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries have an overall capacity of 36 kWh, sufficient for a range of around 130 kilometres. This means that the Vito E-Cell meets the average customer requirements for vans of about 80 kilometres per day and still have a generous reserve. This van’s electric motor is rated at 60 kW with a torque output of 280 Nm. This gives the Vito E-Cell performance comparable to current diesel engines but without the noise and pollution.