Daimler Blog | Stories by Daimler Employees

London traffic can be bewildering – behind the wheel or for tourists on foot who look the wrong way out of habit when crossing the roads of the British metropolis. But regardless of whether it's left-hand or right-hand traffic: with the driving assistance systems from Mercedes-Benz and the...

Hollywood classics like Smokey and the Bandit once conjured up the myth of the modern cowboy, hitting the highway at the wheel of a truck. But today, a driver shortage is threatening the performance of the transportation industry worldwide, and thus the logistical backbone of the global economy....

The only desirable luxury is sustainable luxury. Mercedes-Benz is therefore emphasising sustainability even in the product development phase. From the battery to the carpet –the new Mercedes-Benz EQS is putting real solutions for zero-emission mobility, intelligent resource-conserving features, and a responsible circular economy concept on the road.

Easy Tech: Conditionally automated driving with the DRIVE PILOT Teaser (max. 50 words) ABS, airbag, ESP®, Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC — these are just a few of the technical innovations in which the S-Class set benchmarks in terms of driving safety and comfort. Now it's ready for the next...

World trip with the Mercedes-Benz 190 D For five and a half years, a couple travelled around the world with their “Baby-Benz”. They covered around 250,000 kilometres across five continents: through desert and jungle, glittering cities, and mountain passes over 5,000 metres high. The two...

In just a few days, 2020 will be over. It’s been a year like no other, characterized by a virus that was still unknown 365 days ago and that has limited or, all too often, completely prevented face-to-face meetings, extensive travel, and large-scale events. We asked twelve colleagues from the world of Daimler to tell us what they see in their rearview mirrors — colleagues ranging from our CEO to the man sitting at our headquarter’s reception desk. We put the same three questions to all twelve of them and asked them to reply from their personal point of view.

Some simply call it decarbonization, while others refer to it as probably the most ambitious goal Mercedes-Benz has ever pursued: making the brand’s new car fleet completely CO2 neutral by 2039. We have accompanied the team that monitors the progress of Ambition2039 and contributes with innovative projects to the continuous minimization of Mercedes' CO2 footprint - over the entire life cycle: the Ambition2039 working group. A report about unembellished numbers, technological progress and people with a common vision.

There are more than one billion people with disabilities living around the world. Every year on December 3, the United Nations call attention to their concerns and rights. The aim is not only to prevent discrimination but also, and above all, to promote inclusion: all individuals should be able to participate as equals in education, work, and public life. Six Daimler colleagues told us their personal stories about courage and initiative.

In the past, we knew a truck was approaching long before we saw it. There would be a deep grumbling sound to give us plenty of advance notice. And yes, that’s still the case, but thanks to a great many innovations in and on vehicles, the interval between hearing the truck and seeing it is getting shorter and shorter, and for some engine types, it’s practically non-existent. Which raises the question: how loud or how quiet must, or may, a commercial vehicle be? To answer that question, the engineers from Daimler Trucks listen very carefully when the Mercedes-Benz trucks and buses roll by their microphones at the new acoustics measurement site in Münsingen.

The new Mercedes strategy comprises six pillars. However, the Board of Management has made one topic a guiding principle across all of those six pillars: sustainability. What does that mean in concrete terms? How do we combine economic, environmental and social responsibility? Dr. Manfred Bischoff, Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, explains the most important aspects in a comprehensive interview.

Why plug-in hybrids are an important pillar on the way to emission-free mobility

The truck driver’s head is at a height of about 3.5 metres, while that of a cyclist almost two metres below. If you’ve ever sat in the cab of a 40-tonne truck, you can likely imagine how quickly it can happen: the truck driver wants to turn right at a complex intersection and fails to see a cyclist or pedestrian – and a collision occurs. The consequences of such turning accidents are unfortunately often severe or even fatal. Modern technology can help prevent these accidents or at least minimise the consequences: Since 2016, Sideguard Assist from Mercedes-Benz Trucks and other safety systems have been helping alleviate situations like this. Starting in summer 2021, Sideguard Assist will also provide automatic braking in an emergency.

At Daimler Magazine, we don’t devote our cover stories to individual model series — not normally, at any rate. However, you could argue that the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter also is way more than just a normal van. During the 25 years it’s been on the road, it has become the perfect example of its vehicle class. How did this come about? We talked with three colleagues who should know the answers.

Electric mobility is picking up its pace — there’s no doubt about that! This is the only way that Daimler can reach its goal of having a CO2-neutral new-vehicle fleet by 2039. Nonetheless, the pace at which electric mobility establishes itself on the mass market depends mainly on the suitability of electric vehicles for daily use. In this article we take a look at the average driving behavior, the current status of the charging infrastructure, and the additional factors that are playing play a role in the transition.

The night-driving simulator at Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen

A rare look behind the scenes of Daimler’s quantum computing initiative and how its researchers in Silicon Valley are trying to master a new way of solving tough mathematical challenges.

How artificial intelligence changes work and personal life

The ancestor of today’s automobiles was the Benz Patent Motor Car of 1886. This three-wheeled vehicle has been further developed by generations of engineers. Since that year, Daimler AG alone has registered patents for 120,000 innovations. In purely arithmetical terms, that amounts to five per day. But who are the people behind these ideas? What motivates them? And how can inventiveness be cultivated in the course of daily work at the Group? To answer this question, we met up with Urs Böhme, a developer who is one of the most productive patent applicants at Daimler.

The Summer Games in Tokyo, the Geneva International Motor Show — and yes, even the Oktoberfest in Munich: The coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible to stage major events, at least for the time being. However, what is to be done when the law requires that certain events be held during this year — for example the annual shareholders’ meetings of stock corporations? Well, in such a situation, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, such as the organization and staging of Daimler’s first-ever completely virtual Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on Wednesday. Here’s how it happened.

The year 2020 is only half over, but by now it’s already quite clear which topic will dominate our end-of-the-year reviews in December. The spread of a novel coronavirus has turned our lives upside down in ways we could not have imagined just a few months ago. At Daimler as well, many things have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic: A chronology of work interruptions, social distancing rules, and everyday mask wearing.

75 years ago today, the second World War ended in Europe. Daimler has since accounted for the company's role in it. These years stand for the darkest chapter of our history - and we are aware of the enormous responsibility arising from it.

Michael Lahres and Oliver Neufang know how to deal with hot stuff: After all, they have to work with temperatures of around 680 degrees Celsius every day. That's the temperature of the laser beam that melts extremely fine aluminum powder so that it can then be printed into a component. In other words, 3D-printed parts are no longer a far-fetched vision at Daimler, but reality.

For World Women's Day: This article is about four strong women. And their points of view. We're proud to introduce Amie, Margit, Antje and Chantalle.

It’s their mailbox that regularly reminds the accident researchers of Mercedes-Benz are that their job must be one of the most exciting in the automotive industry. Team Leader Heiko Bürkle has long since stopped counting the number of unsolicited job applications his unit receives. But what is it that’s so fascinating about working with bent and warped metal parts and scratched paint. And how does this work help improve the safety of vehicles with the three-pointed star? We decided to accompany our accident research colleagues for one day.

Isn’t it paradox how more and more everyday things are now publicly considered inappropriate or even derided, but at the same time often very popular when judged by actual consumer behavior? Just think of travelling by plane, steaks on your Barbecue, fireworks on New Year’s Eve or, speaking about motors, sport utility vehicles, or SUVs for short. Why is this the case? And why is this class of vehicle criticized more often than any other? We wanted to know whether the criticism is justified.

Ever since the invention of the automobile, innovations have been a fixed element of Daimler’s DNA. But the transformation of the automobile industry has never been as pervasive and dynamic as it is today. In this interview Jasmin Eichler, Head of Future Technologies Research at Daimler, explains how Group Research aims to resolve the major issues related to the future of the automobile and sustainable mobility.

In Germany, 60 percent of the employees commute to their jobs on a daily basis, spending an average of 44 minutes a day on the road. That adds up to seven full days per year. And this trend is rising. Individual mobility plays a huge role in this process. About two thirds of the commuters use their own cars, which are generally powered by a conventional drive system. More and more companies are considering how they can make their employees’ way to work less congested and more environmentally friendly. At Daimler as well, employees from various units are developing new corporate mobility solutions.

For decades, the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Stuttgart region in particular have been regarded as something of an automotive wonderland. It’s the place where the automobile was invented, and the automotive industry continues to be the basis of the region’s jobs and prosperity. However, the car of tomorrow will be quite different from that of today. How will this affect the region and its people? Are they prepared for the associated structural transformation, or is the entire region at risk of falling into decline?

Technological progress has greatly changed the way we drive. The electronics and electrical system on board a Mercedes-Benz makes driving safer and more comfortable than ever before. However, the new technologies have to be incorporated into cars somehow – and that’s why today’s vehicles contain numerous high-tech components. Jürgen Schwarz and his team make sure that all of this technology works flawlessly even in the event of electromagnetic interference. And they ensure that the technology is harmless to the vehicle occupants.

It’s no secret that Mercedes-Benz has a special weakness for motor racing. After all, we’re celebrating the 125th anniversary of motorsports this year. A few weeks ago, Mercedes won its sixth Formula 1 world championship in a row. But can you do motor racing without the smell of engine oil and super plus gasoline? In Season 6 (2019/20), the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E team will take part in the ABB FIA Formula E championship — the first all-electric racing series in the world. But why are we doing this?

The trucks are produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth. Almost every fifth truck in the world is a "Wörther". But what makes the plant so successful? How do the employees work and live in Wörth? Three regions meet at this location and live the "Wörther spirit" to ensure the quality for which Mercedes-Benz products are known.

9 November 1989 marks the fall of the Berlin Wall, the symbol of division of Germany. On that night, people from the East and West celebrated together. Yet many citizens of East Germany had no idea how profoundly the fall of the Wall would turn their lives upside down. People like Detlef Ludwig, Thanh Nguyen Manh and Torsten Schulz. All three have one thing in common: They were there when the vehicle production plant in Ludwigsfelde, south of Berlin, changed: from a public enterprise owned by the German Democatic Republic (GDR) to a Mercedes-Benz plant. We asked them about their memories of the night the Berlin Wall came down. And what their personal turning points were.

Around one year ago, the nice colleagues from the Daimler Blog asked me if I would tell you something about my experiences, which I was very willing to do. Today, I once again have the opportunity to write about myself and my daily life. However, the first question I asked myself was whether I would bore my readers because I can’t really report about anything very spectacular, i.e. I once again lead a fairly normal life.

Stuttgart. I’m standing on the hill where the Mercedes-Benz Museum is located. The Volocopter has just landed after completing its first flight in a European city. Thousands of people are standing around me and cheering. What a feeling! The bicycle, the motorcycle, and the automobile were all invented here in the state of Baden-Württemberg. And they were joined in 2011 by the flying taxi known as the Volocopter.

On Saturday, the new Ironman 2019 will be crowned in the small town of Kona in Hawaii. The Ironman Hawaii is the oldest and also the toughest triathlon competition in the world, and Kona is the considered to be mecca for triathletes. The athletes who line up at the start must master three long-distance disciplines in succession: swimming for 3.86 kilometers, then riding a bicycle for 180.2 kilometers, and finally running a marathon — that’s 42.195 kilometers — in tropical heat and humidity, against competitors who are the absolute triathlon elite. It’s a battle of attrition. In this competition, the athlete’s iron will is pitted against the limits of the human body’s endurance.

Anja Hagemann discovered her love for sales early on: An internship at Mercedes-Benz Hannover during her studies in business administration opened her eyes. Her career in the commercial vehicles industry and her career as a truck sales manager began in the year 2006. Actually hired as a junior Vans salesperson, she unexpectedly landed in Vans Materials Planning.

There are more oddly dedicated days than there are days in the year. Today in the USA, it’s time to celebrate “National Name Your Car Day.” In pole position in the US ranking of favorite car (nick)names is “Baby.” According to a current survey, one fifth of drivers in Germany have given their cars a name. And in the history of Mercedes-Benz there are models, entire model series even, that also bear a name alongside the star. That’s reason enough to dedicate my post to this phenomenon.

Thomas Built Buses is the leading school bus manufacturer in North America. Back in 2013, I joined TBB as the manager of the center of education and marketing, a role in which I still serve today. Thomas Built Buses has a great reputation in the area (and across the country), so I was excited to get to work with such an iconic brand and within a company that was so highly respected. But more than that, I wanted my work to matter. I wanted to find work that gave me a true purpose, one that made a difference in the lives of many.

A pile of metal — at first glance, this is all that’s left over when our developers are done conducting a crash test. Despite this, they continue to drive our cars against walls again and again. What was a milestone in vehicle safety back in 1959 has become a standard procedure for the development experts. Much has happened since the first systematic crash tests were performed 60 years ago. Read on to find out more.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Tech Open Air in Berlin, and the IAA in Frankfurt, Mercedes-Benz presented a white CLA coupe in which visitors could sit and play the video game SuperTuxKart. But: What’s that supposed to be? Gaming inside a car? Have the people at Daimler lost their minds? We set out to investigate the story behind this “gaming-mobile.” And we found out: This car is more than just a clever gag.

“No headphones on the plant site!,” shouts the porter. I’m surprised that so much fuss is being made about a little music — and on a Monday morning, at that. And this is just the beginning. Don’t glance at your smartphone when going up the stairs, don’t step into the production hall without protective shoes, and don’t put burning candles on birthday cakes. It seems that companies like Daimler have more safety regulations than there are working days in the year.

At Mercedes, we’re experts when it comes to motorsports. The Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) and Benz & Cie companies were among the participants in the first auto race in history, which was held in 1894 on a route between Paris and Rouen. We’ve participated in the Formula 1 races since 1954, and in 2019 we entered the ABB FIA Formula E championship. Some might suppose that this isn’t much of a challenge for us after 125 years of making motorsports history. But the fact is that Formula E is a completely new challenge even for our experienced colleagues.

If you ask people on the street what the Mercedes-Benz brand stands for, their answers are fairly unanimous. In addition to comfort, luxury, and elegance the attribute that people ascribe most often to our vehicles from the A to the S-Class is their focus on their occupants’ safety.

Sustainable mobility produces surprisingly little noise, considering how many people are currently talking about it. When you slowly start up a Mercedes-Benz EQC [combined power consumption: 20.8 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions, combined: 0 g/km*], all you hear is the quiet rolling of the tires. Sabine Angermann, 42, has the steering wheel firmly in her grip. She works at Mercedes-Benz Cars, where she heads the unit that is responsible, among other things, for raw materials procurement

How much code is inside a Mercedes-Benz vehicle? In 2010 a Mercedes contained about 10 million lines of software. Today that figure is already far more than 150 million. In the automobile sector, the software is becoming increasingly complex.

Let’s be honest: There have been times when it was easier to say “You’ve got to live a little” than it is today. That’s because, at least at the emotional level, we suspect more strongly than ever before that many products in the premium or luxury segment are not good — for the environment, for the ecological balance sheet or at least for our own health.

Kinetosis is a very common ailment. According to an internal investigation, around half of the population has had a personal experience of nausea when travelling by vehicle. At Daimler, I am working at the possibilities of improving the wellbeing of all passengers in our vehicles – and reducing the occurrence of kinetosis.

My name is Adi Ofek. I am the CEO of our Mercedes-Benz Tech Hub in Tel Aviv. I joined Daimler almost 19 years ago - employee number 1, when we set up Daimler Financial Services in Israel.