Mercedes B-Class All Electric Car
Mercedes Benz plans to release their own all-electric car as a B-Class. The car skips right over the hybrid style and runs purely on electricity. We can expect to see the Mercedes B-Class in the USA at the beginning of 2014. Read on for details of the electric B-Class after the break,
The Mercedes B-Class is being billed (by Mercedes) as "premium luxury" which is interesting considering the subcompact size. The important specifications are as follows:
- 100kW or 73.5hp of power
- 310 Nm or 228.5 lb.ft of torque
- 0-60 mph in under 10 seconds
- Lithium-ion battery pack
- Maximum speed capped at 100 mph
- Range of 115 miles
Granted this subcompact luxury all-electric car doesn't have the range, styling, or speed of a Tesla Model S. But, that isn't what Mercedes is going for here. Assuming you can deal with the limited range (115 miles) then the real deal breaker will be the price, which has not yet been announced.
The interior of the car has the distinctive MB feel with plenty of leather and creature comforts. The dash sports a 5.8-inch color screen, Audio 20 system, dual tuners, an MP3 CD player, and USB connectivity. Navigation is handled by a Becker MAP PILOT. The energy meter (pictured below) reminds me of an analog version of the one used by the Tesla Model S. It starts off with the needle pointing left, horizontally, at the number zero. When you step on the accelerator pedal the needle moves north to show energy usage. When coasting or braking the needle moves south showing energy regeneration.
Another neat feature (similar to the Tesla Model S) is the addition of a smartphone app for monitoring your electric car. I really like that cars are moving towards the all-electric model, just hope the prices make sense.
[Via]