Mercedes Benz Developing New EV Architecture

[Nik47]

Mercedes Benz electric range of vehicles is currently developed from their existing range of platform. But the current models couldn't compete head on with the Tesla models, which is gaining momentum especially in the US market. Now Mercedes Benz is developing a complete new electric bespoke architecture which is named as Ecoluxe.

According to the latest report, there will be two different versions of the platform. The new Ecoluxe will underpin four different models and the first model of the new platform is a crossover coupe which measures 5 m long. The S variant is expected to produce 544 PS of power and the GT version produces 612 PS of power. The buyers will be able to customize the models extensively and the launch will happen in 2019.

source : Flywheel

 

[hannaz]

That seems to be interesting. Recently BMW also announced the development of Tesla competing EV model.

 

[Wolfgang]

Agreed, Daimler is quite interested in electromobility. Dieter Zetsche recently participated at a conference at the University of Duisburg Essen (UDE). Although the goal of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2020 in Germany may only be reached with financial incentives, he cautioned. Also, and joining with Bernhard Mattes from Ford, had some reservations about the current proposal put forth by Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer for an additional tax of one Euro cent per liter of petrol to finance the new incentive. One must carefully consider further increasing the cost of mobility, said the managers.

RP Online

 

[Wolfgang]

Mercedes-Benz Developing ‘Ecoluxe’ EV Platform: Report

Mercedes-Benz is reportedly set to join its ‘big three’ German rivals, by developing an electric vehicle platform and associated branding.

BMW has established its ‘i’ division and Audi has its ‘e-tron’ range, and now Merc could join them with a new platform under a yet-to-be-established ‘Ecoluxe’ banner.

Germany’s Autobild has revealed the plans, in a feature considering the position of the country’s carmakers in relation to Tesla’s increasingly popular - and all-electric - Model S sedan.

The report predicts a German EV retaliation from BMW with its i5 model, Audi with the Q6, Porsche with a 917 and the new Mercedes Ecoluxe models.

Carmakers from all nations are understood to be taking the EV route more seriously at present, as tighter emissions regulations in Europe and the US in coming years may leave them with little choice.

Porsche has since denied any intentions to tackle Tesla head-on, saying the limited range of EVs in their current state goes against its core sports car principals.

But it’s the reported Ecoluxe angle from Mercedes-Benz that is raising eyebrows, as the carmaker has revealed virtually nothing of such plans to date.

The report predicts almost AU$2.5 billion will be invested by Benz in its EV platform, which would be flexible enough to sit beneath rivals for both the Model S sedan and upcoming Model X SUV.

With an eye to the future, a smaller model is also reportedly on the cards as a rival to the Tesla Model III, and the platform would be rear- and all-wheel-drive compliant with rear-wheel steering.

Power from the electric engine could be as high as 454kW with a range of at least 450km. Production targets would be set at 80,000 units per year, with the first model on sale to the public from 2019.

An autonomous concept from Mercedes-Benz (pictured) was spied testing last month ahead of an expected debut at the Consumer Electronics Show, but the concept may also, in fact, be the first preview of the Ecoluxe platform.


The Motor Report AU

 

[harry1337]

New picture from the Mercedes Benz Facebook page:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t31.0-8/10900050_10152976175376670_2935030695547059402_o.jpg

 

[Sonder]

Damm! This will be such a cool car! What a design!

 

[Wolfgang]

The X-2020 from the design competition in Shanghai might inspire the Ecoluxe?

Cardesignnews

 

[Wolfgang]

Robert Lešnik working on the clay model?

The wheelbase seems to be off?

 

[Wolfgang]

Mercedes is working on Tesla Model S fighter, r&d chief tells paper

FRANKFURT -- Mercedes-Benz is working on an electric car with a range of up to 500km (311 miles) that could compete with Tesla’s Model S battery-powered vehicle, development chief Thomas Weber told German magazine auto motor und sport.

"We are working on an intelligent concept for a highly attractive electric vehicle with a range of 400-500km (228-311 miles),” Weber said in an interview, adding that the car would come “soon.”

The electric drive concept would fit into Mercedes's flexible architecture, allowing it to be employed in more than one car, according to Weber. Automotive News

 

[Wolfgang]

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[Wolfgang]

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[Wolfgang]

Mercedes plans multiple electrified vehicles for U.S.
Exler: EV to debut this fall in Paris is just the start

Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler said a long-range electric vehicle to be introduced this fall at the Paris auto show is the tip of the iceberg for the brand's electrification strategy.

"We're going to have way more than one electric vehicle," Exler said, repeating, "Way more than one."

The vehicle to be shown in Paris is seen as Mercedes' answer to Tesla Motors' Model X crossover. The company will display a prototype of an electric-powered Mercedes car with a 310-mile range, development chief Thomas Weber said in Stuttgart.

"The structure is ready, the teams are working and the initial results from road tests are coming in quick succession," he said. Weber said the car would reach showrooms this decade, but declined to be more specific.

Exler said the U.S. will see more vehicles designed for electrification, not just electrified versions of the existing lineup. The introduction of more electric vehicles is key to meeting regulatory requirements for zero-emission vehicles and the corporate average fuel economy target of 54.5 mpg by the 2025 model year.

"We have to" have those vehicles, Exler said. "This is a game-changer in the U.S."

Daimler and European rivals are stepping up spending on electric vehicles to meet new European Union pollution targets and catch up with Tesla. The German government has also announced subsidies for buyers of electric and other less polluting cars.

Weber also said Daimler would launch its fourth-generation electric Smart car at year end in two- and four-seat variants.

Daimler offers two fully electric cars under its Smart and B-class models and a host of plug-in hybrids, powered by a combined battery and combustion engine. More hybrid models are in the pipeline.

The company is aiming to sell more than 100,000 electric cars a year by the end of the decade, Weber said. He declined to provide the sales figure for 2015.

Source: Automotive News

 

[Wolfgang]

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[Amat46]

Is gonna be GLC F-cell or a completely new car?

 

[Wolfgang]

^ Could be both?

At Mercedes we are laying the foundation for our future electric strategy in the form of a large electric vehicle. We will be presenting a definite perspective on this new vehicle with a 500-kilometre range at the Paris Motor Show in the autumn. We are embedding the components for all electric vehicles, including fuel cell and hybrid models, into a new, shared Mercedes-Benz electric modular system. The structure and also the electric architecture are in place and the components themselves are already fully in development.

Electrifying the product portfolio.

 

[Wolfgang]

A demonstration hydrogen fuel pump sits connected to a prototype Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell hybrid plug-in SUV automobile during Daimler's TecDay Road to the Future event in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz will start selling a fuel-cell electric version of its GLC sport utility vehicle next year, an effort to broaden the appeal of the technology with the first publicly available battery that can be charged both with hydrogen and at a wall socket. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A Mercedes-Benz logo sits on an electrical charging station

A wireless electrical charging station

A model of a Mercedes-Benz S500 hydrid automobile sits parked over a wireless electrical charging station

A Mercedes-Benz S500 hydrid automobile sits parked over a wireless electrical charging station

The new generation smart electric drive with battery manufactured by Deutsche Accumotive.

The new battery manufactured by Deutsche Accumotive.

A electrical charging plug sits connected to a prototype Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell hybrid plug-in SUV automobile during Daimler's TecDay Road to the Future event in Stuttgart. Mercedes-Benz will start selling a fuel-cell electric version of its GLC sport utility vehicle next year, an effort to broaden the appeal of the technology with the first publicly available battery that can be charged both with hydrogen and at a wall socket. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

 

[Centurion]

I'm excited about Mercedes's electric sub-brand but also scratch my head over why they don't reinvent smart into a cool electric brand.

Either way having a sub-brand to use like a skunk-works for radical future thinking is a great idea. Ideas that prove their worth can then be rolled into the main brand.

 

[Wolfgang]

SLS AMG Electric Drive

Sources: M-B plans EV subbrand; sales to start by end of decade
Mercedes-Benz will create a subbrand for electric vehicles, starting with two SUVs and two sedans, sources told Bloomberg.

The subbrand, which has not been named, will adopt distinct design characteristics to set the EVs apart.

Mercedes said in June it would unveil an EV at the Paris auto show next month -- an SUV capable of driving about 310 miles on a single charge.

The German automaker had previously stuck to putting batteries and electric motors in existing models, a cheaper solution than rival BMW's investment in carbon fiber and futuristic design for its i subbrand.

Now their positions are reversed: BMW is holding off on a new i model for another five years. Mercedes will start selling its electric lineup before the end of the decade, one of the people familiar with the plans said.

Christoph Sedlmayr, a spokesman for Mercedes parent Daimler AG, declined to comment on the number of EVs planned and their model types, but he said there will be more than one.

The first of the new EVs will be produced at the company's factory in Bremen, Germany, according to one source. Starting next year, the Bremen plant will also build a fuel cell electric version of the GLC crossover that can be charged with hydrogen and at a wall socket.

Automotive News

 

[Wolfgang]

Daimler relies on sub-brand

In the next 4 years Mercedes plans to introduce at least 4 electric cars. Like BMW i MB may use a sub-brand.

The new brand, for which no name was mentioned, shall focus exclusively on the development, design and marketing of electric-powered models of the Daimler Group. E-Class would actually be appropriate as a name for the new sub-brand, but is unfortunately already taken. According to reports, it could be a simple letter.

EVA for electric cars

Plans currently include two electrically driven SUV models and two electric sedans. A preliminary study of an electric crossover model will debut at the Paris Motor Show. Then the name may be revealed. In 2017 the GLC F-Cell hydrogen-powered fuel cell plug-in could follow. Lateron a vehicle with pure battery-electric drive and 500 km range based on an electric GLC may be planned. For the next generation electric car Daimler developed its own platform called EVA. On this platform, a SUV in GLC format, an SUV in GLS format and two sedans in E- and S-Class size may be in development. The first model of this generation is to arrive in 2019, the others could then follow in 2020/21.

Also in the commercial vehicle sector, the Swabians announced electric powered models, including the Fuso Canter E-Cell, Daimler's recently launched urban eTruck and perhaps also electric Sprinter vans. In China, Mercedes uses along with its partner BYD the name Denza for electrically driven models.

translated from Auto Motor und Sport

 

[Rainer271]

Mercedes EV sub-brand to be called MEQ?

Recent trademark applications suggest models will use the 'EQ' prefix.

It was only about a week ago when we heard rumors of a potential sub-brand of electric models from Mercedes, and now additional details are emerging. It could be called ‘MEQ’ and all the models part of the new family will likely receive the ‘EQ’ prefix as indicated by a few trademark applications made recently by Daimler.

A wide variety of names have been registered, ranging from ‘EQA’ and ‘EQB’ to ‘EQX.’ That doesn’t necessarily mean all of the monikers will find their way on the badge of a zero-emissions car, but it’s a sign Mercedes is intensifying its electrification plans and wants to protect some of the nameplates so that rival companies won’t snatch them up.

Slogans such as ‘Generation MQ’, ‘EQ Boost,’ and ‘EQ inside’ have also been trademarked and most likely these will be used during promotional campaigns to let everyone know it’s not a regular Mercedes powered by a combustion engine.

Leading the way will be an electrified sedan allegedly dubbed ‘EQS’ and aimed to go head to head with the Tesla Model S. Auto Express says it could be unveiled at the beginning of 2017, but sales are not expected to start until 2019. Until then, at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show in October, Mercedes will reportedly unveil a crossover concept which is set to spawn a production version also in 2019 to compete with the Model X and Audi Q6.

Both models will be underpinned by a new platform known as ‘Electric Vehicle Architecture’ which will also be used for another crossover/SUV and a sedan. Besides these four cars, the next-gen Sprinter could go full electric as soon as 2018 if we were to rely on a recent report coming from The Detroit Bureau which cites Ulf Zillig, the man in charge of the VS30 project at Mercedes. By the end of the decade, the company with the three-pointed star logo could also have an electric heavy truck previewed by the Antos-based Urban eTruck prototype.

All things considered, Daimler is serious about electrification on all fronts which is why it has plans to spend ‘significantly above’ the €6.6 billion ($7.2 billion) assigned last year for R&D. The first new pure electric vehicle to be launched by the company will be the Smart ForTwo EV Coupe due to arrive later this year as per a roadmap published recently which also indicates the ForTwo Cabrio and ForFour will get similar versions in 2017.

Source: autoexpress.co.uk