Search Results Found For: "mercedes"

2014 plug-in sales post 23% gain over 2013 as Tesla takes the lead and Mercedes and VW enter the race

2014 was another year of steady growth for EV sales. Some 12,874 plug-ins were sold in the US in December, a healthy gain compared to December 2013. For the full year, sales are up 23%. The Tesla Model S passed the LEAF and Volt to slide into the lead (doubtless thanks to the new P85D’s… Read more »

Hitachi supplies inverters and DC/DC converters for Mercedes PHEVs

Hitachi Automotive Systems has begun to supply Daimler with compact, high-output inverters and DC/DC converters for use in the Mercedes S500 and S550 plug-in hybrids, which recently went on sale in Germany. Hitachi developed a third-generation inverter that is 40% smaller and offers higher output than the previous version, and a high-output DC/DC converter with… Read more »

2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive

After a gradual build-up, Daimler’s automotive brands are now showing their stuff in the EV arenas of three continents. Stateside, the spotlight lands on the new, competitively priced Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), hasn’t been the most visible mover or shaker in electric mobility up to this… Read more »

Mercedes reveals details of S 500 Plug-in Hybrid as deliveries begin

Mercedes has released some more details on its S 500 Plug-in Hybrid, which is scheduled to begin deliveries in Germany this month. The plug-in Benz sports a V6 biturbo engine, an 85 kW electric motor, an 8.7 kWh water-cooled lithium-iron phosphate battery, and a 3.6 kW on-board charger. The high-voltage battery and plug-in components are covered… Read more »

Mercedes S 500 Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale

Mercedes-Benz has begun taking orders for the S 500 Plug-In Hybrid. Prices (in Germany) start at €108,944 ($146,000). The new sedan will begin arriving at dealerships in September. The plug-in Benz features an 85 kW, 340 N·m electric motor and a new 245 kW, 480 N·m, 3.0-liter biturbo V6 gas engine. Combined system output is… Read more »

Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive priced to compete with BMW i3

Mercedes-Benz has dribbled out a few more details about its eagerly-awaited B-Class Electric Drive, which is scheduled to arrive in eight US states this summer. The latest news: MSRP will be $41,450, almost exactly the same as that of the BMW i3. The Beemer, which went on sale in the US this month, appears to… Read more »

Mercedes Intelligent HYBRID system looks at the road ahead to maximize efficiency

Cars are not just getting charged – they are also getting smarter and more perceptive, and these technological trends reinforce each other in many ways. Increasingly, vehicles use real-time data about their surroundings to maximize the efficiency of their electrified powertrains. A prime example is Mercedes-Benz’s Intelligent HYBRID system, an energy management system for hybrid… Read more »

Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes into production

The first Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive has rolled off the assembly line in Rastatt, Germany, and is scheduled to go on sale in the US this summer. With an MSRP expected to be in the low 40s, the electric Benz may prove a worthy competitor to the BMW i3, and could really shake up the… Read more »

Mercedes exec: B Class EV beats BMW i3

Daimler R&D chief Thomas Weber talked EVs in an interview this week with Automotive News Europe’s German sister Automobilwoche. Weber believes the upcoming Mercedes B class Electric Drive will be a worthy competitor for the BMW i3: “In all the key criteria, this vehicle will be at least as competitive as our competitors’ models. With… Read more »

Mercedes releases details of its upcoming S 500 plug-in hybrid

Mercedes-Benz has dropped a few tantalizing details about its S 500 plug-in hybrid luxury sedan, which will make its debut at the  Frankfurt Auto Show in September, and go on sale some time next year. The third hybrid model of the new S-Class, the S 500 combines an 80 kW electric motor with a 3.0-liter… Read more »