Mercedes-Benz has opened a battery pack factory in Bibb County, Alabama, near a plant in Tuscaloosa where the company will soon be building its new EQE and EQS electric SUVs for the US market. The new plant will not be manufacturing cells, but rather assembling purchased cells into packs for the EQE and EQS. The… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled plans to expand its global battery recycling strategy. The automaker will build its own battery recycling plant in Kuppenheim, Germany, and plans to enlist partners for battery recycling in China and the US. “Mercedes-Benz is pursuing a maximum circular economy for all raw materials used,” said Board Member Jörg Burzer. “Sustainable battery… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz and battery firm ProLogium are teaming up to develop solid-state batteries. The automaker will make an unspecified investment in ProLogium, and will take a seat on the company’s board of directors. The first test vehicles using the new batteries are not expected to appear for several years. “We believe that range and efficiency are… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new electric bus chassis developed for the Brazilian market. The eO500U chassis will be launched in 2022 for Brazil and Latin America, and will also be commercialized in Europe and Oceania. The new chassis was developed by Mercedes’s Brazilian engineering team, and has been extensively tested in Germany. It is a… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz has announced the acquisition of YASA, a manufacturer of electric drive technology. YASA will operate as a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, but will continue to operate from its headquarters in Oxford, England. YASA will provide electric motors for Mercedes-Benz’s AMG.EA electric platform, while continuing to supply existing automotive supercar customers. YASA says its proprietary axial-flux… Read more »
After months of teasers, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled full details of its upcoming EQS electric luxury sedan, the latest of several models from Mercedes’s EQ electric sub-brand. There will be two battery pack options: 107.8 kWh usable (12 modules) and 90 kWh usable (10 modules). The cells are in either pouch or hard-case/prismatic format, and are… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz Bank, together with insurance partner R+V/KRAVAG, is now offering insurance policies specially adapted to the requirements of commercial EV owners. The full coverage insurance includes cover for inductive charging plates, charging cables and wallboxes, disposal costs for the battery, and replacement value cover for the vehicle and the battery. The eVan insurance is currently… Read more »
Scientists around the world are hard at work on solid-state batteries, which could offer significant technical and safety advantages over current lithium-ion designs. However, while micro-solid-state batteries are already in commercial use in some applications, most experts believe that large-scale automotive solid-state batteries are still years away from commercialization. Apparently, Mercedes didn’t get the memo,… Read more »
Amazon made a splash in the EV world last September when it ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from EV startup Rivian. Now the company says it will buy an additional 1,800 electric vans from Mercedes-Benz. The order includes 1,200 large eSprinter electric vans and 600 medium-size eVito electric vans. It represents Mercedes-Benz Vans’ largest order… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) are collaborating to create new battery technology for the high-volume electrification of Mercedes vehicles. The carmaker is accelerating its Electric First strategy, and plans to use carbon-neutral battery cells, modules and systems supplied by CATL. The agreement covers the full range of battery technologies, from cells to modules for… Read more »