Mercedes-Benz has announced that from 2025 all newly launched models will be electric-only and there will also be an all-electric alternative for every model the company makes.
By 2022, the German brand states it will have battery electric vehicles (BEV ) in all segments the company serves.
Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, says the EV shift is picking up speed – especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz belongs.
“The tipping point is getting closer and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade,” he says.
In 2025 Mercedes-Benz will launch three electric-only platforms. The MB.EA platform will cover all medium to large size passenger cars. The AMG.EA will be a dedicated performance electric vehicle platform for Mercedes-AMG vehicles, while the Van.EA platform will be used for light commercial vehicles (LCVs ).
Following this year’s launch of the EQA, EQB, EQS and EQV, Mercedes-Benz will launch the new EQE saloon, EQE SUV and EQS SUV in 2022. This gives the brand a total of eight fully-electric vehicles in the passenger car segment, including the existing EQC. Two new versions of the EQS saloon are also due imminently: an AMG-badged performance option and a Maybach luxury range-topper. Mercedes-Benz is also currently developing the Vision EQXX, an electric car that it claims has a real world range of more than 1,000 kilometres.
To facilitate the shift to electric, Mercedes-Benz says that between 2022 and 2030 it will invest more than €40 billion into battery electric vehicles. The premium car maker adds that it plans to set up eight “Gigafactories” for producing battery cells, together with its partners around the world. This is in addition to the already planned network of nine plants dedicated to building battery systems.
Next generation batteries will be highly standardised and suitable for use in more than 90 per cent of all Mercedes-Benz cars and vans, according to the company. Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz says it is also working on setting new standards in charging. Plug & Charge will allow customers to plug-in, charge and unplug without extra steps needed for authentication and payment processing. Plug & Charge will go live with the market launch of the EQS later this year. Mercedes me Charge is already one of the world’s largest charging networks and currently comprises more than 530,000 AC and DC charging points worldwide.
