Mercedes unveils an electric car with a range that exceeds Tesla cars
Mercedes unveiled its near-production CLA electric concept car, which features a very long range and fast charging via an 800-volt architecture.
The CLA small four-door coupe is the first in the company’s line of Mercedes cars with MMA electric modularity.
Revealed as a concept at the Munich Motor Show, the CLA-Class is scheduled to enter production as a true electric car in late 2024.
“This car is a pioneer in the completely new electrified segment of entry-level vehicles at Mercedes,” said Ola Källenius, President of Mercedes.
The range includes four new models: a four-door coupe, a station wagon, and two SUVs. This car is the same size as the company’s current CLA sedan, with a length of 185 inches, and has a smooth, egg-like shape designed to move through the air at the maximum speed possible. The hood is longer than other electric cars offered by the company.
Mercedes may also offer it with ICE engines, and it has a number of typical details, such as triple-star lighting, 21-inch wheels, low-power LED lighting front and rear, a giant panoramic roof, a huge front grille panel decorated with small illuminated stars, etc.
The CLA class is not about power compared to other Mercedes electric cars but rather focuses on efficiency and charging speeds. To that end, it uses an 800-volt architecture and a single 235-hp rear-mounted motor borrowed from the Vision EQXX concept.
It also has a new heat pump to warm the batteries and passengers in the winter, when cold air can severely impact an electric car’s range, along with a two-speed transmission.
Despite all this, the CLA Concept can achieve 750 km of range with an excellent efficiency of around 8.3 km per kWh. Charging technology also allows drivers to add up to 200 miles (320 km) of range in just 15 minutes.
Mercedes did not specify the size of the battery, but it is likely to be less than 100 kWh with support for bidirectional charging technology.
The battery design incorporates silicon oxide anodes to improve energy density, which aids in efficiency. The company also offers a less efficient and cost-effective option with a conventional lithium-ion battery.
Inside, the car houses a high-performance water-cooled chip from NVIDIA, which is the digital brain of Mercedes’ new operating system called MB.OS, which appears in all new MMA-based electric vehicles.
It also includes silver leather seats, and a three-screen MBUX Superscreen at the level of the dashboard with a few physical controls.
The new design and long wheelbase give rear seat passengers more headroom and legroom than the current CLA with internal combustion engine.
In addition, the company offers Level 3 Automated Driving, where the electric vehicle features all the sensors required to enable the feature across the road.
