This type of battery, which until now has been used primarily in consumer electronics, will be used in the series-production S 400 BlueHYBRID at the start of next year.

Dr Thomas Weber, Daimler's head of group research and Mercedes-Benz Cars development said: “What we have here is a groundbreaking key technology that is going to be a decisive factor for the future success of the automotive industry. “That is a tribute to our intensive research efforts, which we have been conducting in this area since 1992.” A key development that Daimler is emphasising is the integration of the lithium-ion battery into the vehicle's climate control system, ensuring the battery always works at optimal system temperatures. Daimler has said lithium-ion batteries are ideally suited to hybrid vehicles but the company is looking into how the technology can be applied to electric and fuel cell-powered cars.