Governor of Oregon Visits Daimler Headquarters to Learn about Alternative Drives for Commercial Vehicles

STUTTGART, GERMANY - Ted Kulongoski, governor of the U.S. state of Oregon, visited Daimler AG in Stuttgart as part of his European trip. One of the production locations of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is Portland, Ore. Both Oregon and California have the strictest environmental legislation of any of the U.S. states, thus Oregon is particularly interested in forward-looking drive technologies. 

Daimler Trucks presented the governor a broad selection of its commercial vehicles with alternative drives and safety equipment featured in the company's "Shaping Future Transportation" initiative.

"Ted Kulongoski is very interested in all industrial activities associated with the development of environment-friendly products. We are pleased that we can show him numerous examples illustrating the Daimler Trucks Shaping Future Transportation Initiative," said Martin Daum, President & CEO of DTNA, during the visit.

The eleven-member delegation with politicians from Oregon got an overview of the current vehicle lineup of Daimler Trucks, including the Mercedes-Benz Atego Hybrid, the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid, the natural gas-powered Mercedes-Benz Econic NGT, the EPA 10-ready Freightliner Cascadia, and the Mercedes-Benz Actros Safety Truck, at the test track in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. Also on the agenda was a visit to Nabern, where Daimler AG's fuel cell development is centered. Kulongoski was impressed by the diverse technologies that Daimler Trucks uses in the development of alternative drive systems.

Detroit Diesel, DTNA's engine subsidiary, decided back in 2005 to introduce BlueTec technology to meet the EPA 2010 emissions standards, which enter into force on January 1, 2010. By employing the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, Daimler Trucks North America is benefiting from the experience obtained with Mercedes-Benz BlueTec trucks in Europe. Well over 250,000 of these trucks have been driven on Europe's roads since they were introduced in 2005. These trucks have demonstrated their capabilities over a distance of more than 20 million kilometers. The SCR exhaust treatment system known as BlueTec reduces fuel consumption and dramatically reduces nitrogen emissions. '

Further information about Daimler as well as images (No. 09A1031 and 09A1032) are available on the Internet at: www.media.daimler.com