Mercedes-Benz has reiterated it will head towards providing an electric heartbeat to its entire fleet, outlining its electrification strategy for the next few years at a ‘Meet Mercedes’ presentation ahead of the Geneva Motor Show.
According to Ola Källenius, member of the board of management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, the automaker will be making a continued push on all segments related to electrification, namely EQ Boost, EQ Power and EQ.
“We will offer several electrified solutions for all mobility demands, and we plan to offer more than 10 purely electric models by 2025,” he said.
On the EQ Boost 48-volt mild hybrid front, he said that the 25 plus offerings with 48-volt systems the company had in place in 2018 was set to double to over 50 models this year, and to well over 100 by 2020.
Plug-in hybrid models, meanwhile, are set to get a “very steep ramp-up” from this year on, doubling to more than 10 models this year. By 2020, the automaker hopes to have more than 20 PHEV models out in the market,
Kallenius added that electric-only operating range in its PHEVs is set to make a significant jump this year. Right now, the range as measured under a worldwide harmonised light vehicles (WLTP) test cycle is up to 50 km, but this will be doubled from the second half of 2019, with the next-gen of PHEVs being able to run up to 100 km on electric power alone.
He added that with most daily commutes being in the 50 km range, having a 100 km distance should take care of 90% of users needs. The first vehicle capable of this will be the GLE, he said.
Kallenius confirmed that the A-Class and B-Class are set to go the PHEV route this year, with expected output from the system revealed to be above 200 hp and 400 Nm. It was previously reported that the powertrain for the compact car range will utilise a 1.3 litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a 90 hp electric motor.
The push in the pure electric EQ direction will continue through infrastructure development of the supply chain and charging support network. Aside from getting battery plants increasing to scale in quicker fashion, the former is seeing a 20 billion euro investment to ensure that the increasing need for battery cell supply is taken care of.
Elswwhere, the Ionity high-power charging network – which the automaker is involved in along with BMW, Ford and Volkswagen Group – remains on course to have 400 high power 350 kW charging points in place by 2020, according to Kalenius.
Tags: 2019 Geneva Motor Show
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