Mercedes-Benz has announced it will comply with the strict emissions regulations that will come into effect in Europe and in the United States by launching additional plug-in hybrid models. Company executives say they have the technology required to build electric cars, but they believe plug-in hybrids will greatly outsell EVs in the coming years.
“For C-Class upwards, the only way to go as we near 2020 and beyond is plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. We will have a plug-in S-Class in September, and later in the life cycle of the C-Class we will have one too. Mercedes Rear-drive Architecture will make it possible for us to go for plug-in hybrids across the range,” explained Thomas Weber, Mercedes’ head of development, in an interview with British magazine Autocar.
Weber added many car shoppers still see electric vehicles as a compromise because they offer a limited driving range and the charging infrastructure is not up to date in many cities around the world. All told, Mercedes predicts demand for electric vehicles will be largely driven by customers looking to buy small, lightweight cars like the smart fortwo electric drive and the B-Class Electric that are primarily designed to be used in urban centers.
The company has already started rolling out hybrid versions of the C-Class, the E-Class and the S-Class. The latest member of the family, the C300 BlueTEC Hybrid, uses a 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine linked to a seven-speed automatic transmission that works with an electric motor rated at 27 horsepower and 191 lb-ft. of torque. Power is stored in a lithium-ion battery pack. The sedan can sprint from zero to 62 mph in 6.5 seconds yet it returns 65 mpg in a mixed European cycle when driven with a light right foot.
Although Mercedes thinks plug-in hybrids are the right way forward, the company admits the take-up rate among car buyers heavily depends on how governments subsidize clean vehicles.
“It will be important what the governments in countries are doing to support this early phase. It comes down to subsidies [although] maybe without money you can have benefits such as parking for free, special lanes during traffic jams and so on,” concluded Weber.
Photo by Ronan Glon.
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