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 »
Mercedes-Benz has launched a strategic partnership with the Chinese battery cell manufacturer Farasis Energy, and taken an equity stake in the company. Key elements of the agreement include the development and industrialization of advanced cell technologies as well as goals for cost competitiveness. The technological focus is on significant increases in range through advances in… Read more »
OXIS Energy and the Minas Gerais Development Company have signed a 15-year lease agreement with Mercedes Benz Brazil (MBB) to take possession of a plant located at the MBB manufacturing site in Juiz de Fora in southeast Brazil, to produce lithium-sulfur battery cells. NORDIKA Pharmaceutical of Brazil will undertake the design, engineering and machinery layout…. Read more »
Automotive powerhouses Mercedes-Benz and Geely have formally established the global joint venture “smart Automobile Co., Ltd.” for the smart brand. Each company will contribute 2.7 billion RMB in capital. The new JV, headquartered in Hangzhou Bay, China, will design the new vehicles using the Mercedes-Benz Design network, while Geely Holding will be responsible for development… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz has announced three compact plug-in hybrids under the company’s EQ Power label. The A 250 e, A 250 e Saloon, and B 250 e will each feature a 15.6 kWh battery, electric range of 70-75 km, electric output of 75 kW, total system output of 160 kW, and system torque of 450 Nm. Each… Read more »
Mercedes has begun production of the EQC, a pure electric SUV that represents the German automaker’s first native EV (built to be electric, not adapted from a legacy vehicle). The company has begun taking orders, and deliveries are expected to start next month. Mercedes says the EQC SUV is already sold out for the year…. Read more »
This fall, AKASOL is set to begin mass producing batteries for Mercedes-Benz’s eCitaro. AKASOL’s first-generation battery systems will contain ten battery modules for up to 243 kWh per vehicle and a charging rate of up to 300 kW. In order to make this possible, AKASOL uses a water-cooling system to keep its batteries at 25° C in various… Read more »