Mercedes-Benz was awarded the prestigious US Tech Prize “R&D 100 Award”, also known as the “Oscars of Invention”, for developing the Nanoslide technology.
Mercedes-Benz engineers will see their innovative efforts rewarded by US tech-specialist publication R&D Magazine chose Nanoslide as one of the 100 most important high-tech products launched in 2013.
Nanoslide is a ground-breaking technology created to reduce fuel consumption in combustion engines by several percent ,with a direct effect in reducing CO2 emissions. Basically, Nanoslide is an extremely thin, low-friction cylinder coating applied to the inner surfaces of the aluminium cylinders.
The result is a mirror-smooth surface which reduces friction between piston, piston rings and cylinder wall by up to 50%. Moreover, several kilograms of weight are saved, a crucial amount when talking about the overall performance of the car.
Mercedes-Benz introduced this patented technology in 2013 in the U.S. market with the V8 turbocharged petrol engine. In parallel with this, Heller Maschinenfabrik managed to put the Nanoslide technology into mass production. To this date, Nanoslide is being applied by Mercedes-Benz to 4 and 8-cylinder engines responsible for powering the latest generation of Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
The “R&D 100 Award” was awarded for the first time in 1963 and since then it rewarded innovations we see now as common. Among these we mention inventions like the halogen lamp (1974), the fax machine (1975), the liquid-crystal display (1980) and the HDTV high-resolution television (1998)
Source: Mercedes-Benz
