news

Mercedes-Benz working on EV to rival Tesla

A Daimler board member has confirmed that Mercedes-Benz is working on an electric vehicle with a range of up to 500 kilometres.


In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Thomas Weber, chief of research and development at Mercedes-Benz, was asked if the company is working on a Tesla rival.

"We are working on an intelligent concept for a highly attractive electric vehicle with a range of between 400 and 500 kilometres," Weber replied. He added that it could be revealed "soon".

When pressed if this new electric vehicle will be based on the front-wheel drive A- and B-Class platform, the R&D chief was a little more evasive, but he seemed to hint that it will be based on the Daimler's larger rear-wheel drive component set.

"Perhaps, but it's possibly also a larger car, because that way our innovative design will not be limited to just a single car," Weber stated.

The company currently sells an all-electric version of its B-Class hatch in select markets overseas. The B-Class Electric Drive uses drivetrain components supplied by Tesla and is a result of the two companies' earlier collaboration.

Daimler sold its last remaining tranche of Telsa shares in October 2014.

Elsewhere in the interview Weber pointed out that Mercedes-Benz has a large number of plug-in hybrid models available throughout its range.

He also noted that, in many cities, electric Smart ForTwos are available through the Car2Go vehicle sharing service. Weber also confirmed that next year, the company will be releasing electric versions of its new-generation ForTwo, ForFour and ForTwo convertible.

MORE:Mercedes-Benz Showroom
MORE:Mercedes-Benz News
MORE:Mercedes-Benz Reviews
MORE:Search Used Mercedes-Benz Cars for Sale
MORE:Mercedes-Benz Showroom
MORE:Mercedes-Benz News
MORE:Mercedes-Benz Reviews
MORE:Search Used Mercedes-Benz Cars for Sale
Chat with us!







Chat with Agent