In an attempt to directly compete with Elon Musk, Mercedes-Benz Group AG introduced an electric vehicle with a greater range than any Tesla Inc. model now available.
The company unveiled a near-production model of its CLA car, which can outdistance Tesla’s updated Model 3 by more than 750 kilometers (466 miles) on a single charge. Mercedes’s first electric vehicle features a battery system that can add 400 kilometers of range in just 15 minutes of charging and is built on its impending EV underpinnings.
Markus Schäfer, chief technical officer of Mercedes-Benz, claims that the automobile uses improved battery cell chemistry and that engineers increased efficiency by reducing losses in its 800V electric-drive system.
The Concept Cars
Four new vehicles are anticipated to be part of the new EV family: a four-door coupé, a shooting brake, and two SUVs. It is a component of the Group’s ‘Ambition 2039’ strategy, which strives for net carbon neutrality. Mercedes-Benz will only produce EVs on all of its new vehicle platforms starting in 2025.
Compared to Tesla’s (TSLA) Model 3 and Model S, which have the longest ranges of the brand and can each travel for less than 375 miles on a single charge, the vehicles will each have a range of more than 750 kilometers (466 miles).
As another proof of German automakers’ efforts to stave off expanding EV competition, BMW also made a stir at the show by announcing a new electric vehicle that claims a longer range and faster charging.
“We’re taking it to the next level,” Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer said Sunday in an interview ahead of the IAA car show in Munich. “This car is extremely important for innovation reasons and to push the limits for what we can do with a series car.”
Is it Mercedes vs. Tesla?
In China, where consumers are increasingly choosing domestic manufacturers like BYD Co. and Nio Inc. that have been better at constructing EVs with software tailored to local tastes, Mercedes is attempting to fend off Tesla and boost sales. By the end of this decade, the business wants to offer only electric vehicles (EVs) and has plans to work with partners to build eight battery plants.
