Yesterday Daimler released information and new pictures of the MBZ B-Class Electric Drive. It’s due to go on sale in the U.S. this summer, no word on whether that will be limited just to California or not, and will go on sale in Europe sometime later. It’s due to have an 85 miles EPA range, and is limited to a top speed of 100 miles/hr. The 177 hp (132 kW) electric motor delivers a respectable maximum torque of 251 lb-ft (340 Newton meters), and a 0-60 miles/hr time of 7.9 seconds.
Unlike Toyota with the Gen2 Rav4 EV, Daimler is being up-front about the fact that Tesla Motors technology is in the drive train.
“Mercedes-Benz has collaborated with TESLA Motors to develop the electric B-Class. The two companies share many years of cooperation in the field of electric mobility. The battery for the predecessor model of the smart fortwo electric drive, for instance, came from TESLA. For the B-Class Electric Drive, Mercedes-Benz is once again leveraging the extensive know-how available from the electric car pioneer and is using the TESLA drive system in its own vehicle.”
So.. it’s got Tesla technology inside, and respectable performance. What about the charging system? Any sign of fast charging capability?
Nope. That’s a J1772 plug inside an extra-large portal that isn’t the correct shape to add an Combined Charging System plug. Instead, it looks like it’s designed to accept a second charging port.
Is this charging flap a hold-over from the gasoline powered B-Class?
The charging port location is at the rear, which is actually a suboptimal location. Why? I routinely observe electric car drivers whose charging ports are in the rear having to back in to the charging station. When the charging port is at the front, the driver can park nose first.
In any case, we look forward to seeing this car in the flesh sometime. I’ve posted a longer writeup at examiner.com
along with a big slew of pictures.
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Evade blocked charging stations with one of these handy J1772 extension cords. |
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