what could this new Mercedes EV be about? Tesla says new electric powertrain deal with Daimler will exceed in value sum of all its prior powertrain agreements http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/05/tesla-20120510.html
I believe Tesla are in serious financial trouble? Or are the deals with Daimler part of the recovery, I assume?
^ May indicate Daimler is getting increasingly confident in Tesla? The deal is larger than expected. The new Mercedes EV is due by 2014. Daimler has been tight lipped about this project -- as far as I know. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...rticlesM3QD2C0D9L3501-M3TFT.DTL#ixzz1uUzsbdZy
Here is one possibility??? http://mercedes-benz-blog.blogspot.com http://www.germancarforum.com/community/threads/daimler-board-member-“electric-mercedes-a-and-b-class-coming-in-2010″.25151/page-2
They are not in financial trouble. Industrial projects of this nature are often invested based on 5 or 10 year plans. Licensing and partnership is a common strategic source of revenue. Tesla as a motor company begins with the Model S. The Roadster was nothing more than a proof of concept to demonstrate the realism in bringing an electric car to the market.
It's the B-Class. Daimler has given the U.S. electric car pioneer a contract to develop an electric drivetrain for the B-Class. http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http://www.automobilwoche.de/article/20120626/REPOSITORY/120629934/1293/daimler-erteilt-tesla-auftrag-fur-elektrofahrzeug&act=url
Spiegel Online mentions the range. http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/mercedes-und-tesla-planen-b-klasse-mit-elektromotor-a-841105.html&act=url
Mercedes to market Tesla-powered 2014 B-Class EV in U.S. http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/05/mercedes-to-market-tesla-powered-2014-b-class-ev-in-u-s/
Where does the Nissan connection fall in? I heard that MB and Nissan might even be sharing V6 engines. Nissan seems to be a leader in EV tech. The whole comment about hybrid vs. fully electric seems off, consdering what a premium one must get for a EV versus a hybrid.
Update on the Nissan/Renault alliance. Comments were with regard to the B-Class E-CELL PLUS range extender hybrid: