By the middle of this decade, Mercedes-Benz’s all-new products will only be fully-electric models. The company presented their strategic roadmap yesterday via digital broadcast.
By 2030, Mercedes-Benz will be ready to go all-electric, where market conditions allow. The shift towards 100% electric will certainly be in stages, with more models spawned from the new Mercedes EQS platform.
The second-generation EV platforms will start being in production from 2025, with four distinctive architectures for key vehicle sizes. MMA will be used for compact and mid-sized cars while MB.EA will cover all medium to large size vehicles.
AMG.EA will be a dedicated performance electric platform, catering to technology and performance-oriented Mercedes-AMG customers.
Click here for more information on the upcoming AMG.EA Mercedes-AMG EV platform!
Mercedes-Benz also took the opportunity to announce their acquisition of a new high-performance electric drive company called Yasa, based in the UK. Their expertise in ultra-high performance axial flux motors with endless repeatable performance will set next-generation Mercedes-AMG products apart from the competitors.
In 2024, Mercedes-Benz will also unveil a fully-electric G-Glass, with Mercedes-Maybach models being electrified as well.
With panel and window vans still playing a critical role in the product portfolio, a dedicated VAN.EA platform will be built for light commercial usage.
With all segments covered, all models by Mercedes-Benz will have an EV option by 2025.
Similar to other dedicated EV platforms, the Mercedes-Benz platforms will be highly scalable and share many key components, with the battery platform itself being based on more than 90% of vehicles. Eight new battery ‘gigafactories’ will also be set up around the world to achieve a target of over 200 GWh production, teaming up with new European partners.
Smart cars will be made by Geely using Geely’s platform! It isn’t so small anymore too!
Mercedes-EQS New Mercedes-Benz S 580 e
To enhance manufacturing efficiency, Mercedes-Benz is joining forces with GROB, a German global leader in highly innovative battery production and automation systems, strengthening its battery production capacity and know-how. The cooperation focuses on battery module assembly as well as pack assembly.
The charging infrastructure will also be further expanded, where Mercedes-Benz is working on setting a new standard for charging called “Plug and Charge”. The new standard removes the authentication and payment process, making the charging of an EV even simpler. Similar to Audi, Mercedes-Benz will also launch several premium-charging sites in Europe with top-notch facilities and experiences.
The transition from combustion engines to electric drives has in fact started with the extensive re-skilling of the key workforce. Last year, around 20,000 employees in Germany were trained in aspects of e-mobility. In the future, TechAcademies will be offering future-oriented training modules.
Investments into EV from 2022 to the end of the decade will amount to over EUR40 billion (RM199 billion). With such high expenditure, the company is further emphasizing on business mix and units with high net revenue as well as direct sales to customers that reduce cost.
Capital expenditure will only move towards EV programmes. As a sign of letting the combustion engine go, investments into that technology as well as plug-in hybrid will be reduced by 80% between 2019 and 2026.
GALLERY
