Daimler has cranked up the voltage several notches with a series of EV-related announcements. The German auto giant plans to invest €7 billion ($7.9 billion) in green tech R&D over the next two years.

Mercedes’ seventh and eighth PHEV models, the GLC Coupé 350 e 4MATIC and the E 350 e, are to arrive in showrooms this year.

In the pipeline is a Mercedes-Benz fuel cell vehicle with plug-in technology, to be called the GLC F-CELL.

Mercedes is developing a dedicated, multi-model architecture for battery EVs, featuring battery packs from Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE that are expected to deliver ranges of up to 311 miles.

Meanwhile, the fourth generation of the electric smart, now available in three EV models, will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, and will be launched in the US by the end of this year.

“No other manufacturer offers a comparable range of electrified vehicles and solutions in the field of electric mobility,” said Daimler Board Member Dr. Thomas Weber. “The spectrum ranges from the smart city runabout and Mercedes-Benz passenger cars to buses, coaches, and trucks of the Fuso brand. We will electrify all Mercedes-Benz passenger car model series step by step.”

Dr. Weber expects to see dramatic improvements in battery tech. “With the introduction of the post-lithium-ion technology, of which the lithium-sulfur systems are currently the most promising, we will have an entirely different playing field in the next decade.”

“We are investing heavily in electromobility, and we are convinced that the market is now ready,” says Dr. Weber.

Source: Daimler via Green Car Congress