Mercedes plans range of electric cars
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Topics: MERCEDES
The Mercedes Benz production network is ready for the company’s electric product offensive and is integrating its Mercedes EQ models into series production in its existing plants.
The EQS, the first electric luxury sedan from Mercedes Benz, will start in the first half of 2021 in Factory 56 in the Sindelfingen site (Germany).
With the production launch of the electric compact SUV EQA in the Rastatt plant (Germany) and the current decision to locate EQB production in the Hungarian plant in Kecskemét, the company is taking further important steps toward making its product portfolio CO₂ neutral.
The course has also been set toward “Electric First†in the global powertrain production network as well.
High efficiency battery systems will also be manufactured and assembled within the production network.
In May 2019 production of the EQC (combined power consumption: 21.5 kWh/100 km; combined COâ‚‚ emissions: 0 g/km)1 in the Mercedes Benz plant in Bremen (Germany) was integrated into ongoing series production.
Just a few months later the German Chinese production joint venture, Beijing Benz Automotive Co.
Ltd.
(BBAC), launched EQC production for the local market in China.
In 2020 production of the EQV premium electric MPV (combined power consumption: 26.4 kWh/100 km; combined COâ‚‚ emissions: 0 g/km)1 started in Vitoria, northern Spain.
Compact car class customers can look forward to two fully electric compact SUVs in the EQA and EQB in 2021.
EQA will celebrate its world premiere on January, 20 2021 as the first fully electric derivative of this compact car.
The EQA production launch in the Mercedes Benz Rastatt plant went smoothly.
As with the EQC from Bremen and Beijing and the EQV from Vitoria, which are already on the market, the fully electric models in the Rastatt plant run on the same production line as compact vehicles with conventional and hybrid drives.
That means all five vehicles produced in Rastatt are electrified: In addition to the fully electric EQA, the A‑Class, A Class sedan, B Class and the compact SUV GLA are also produced in the Mercedes Benz plant in Rastatt with classic combustion engines as well as plug in hybrid drive.
With thin the Mercedes Benz Rastatt plant is making an important contribution on the road to a COâ‚‚ neutral vehicle fleet and to the Mercedes Benz AG electric offensive.
EQA production will also follow next year (2021) at BBAC in Beijing for the Chinese market.
EQB production will launch in 2021 at two locations in the global Mercedes Benz Cars production network: in the Hungarian Mercedes Benz plant in Kecskemét for the world market and in the German Chinese joint venture BBAC in Beijing for the local market.
Plant preparation, including employee training and renovation work, is already underway.
The compact SUV EQB will be the first purely electrically powered production vehicle from Hungary and will complement the plug in hybrid portfolio consisting of the CLA and CLA Shooting Brake.
The A Class will also be produced in Kecskemét with a plug in hybrid drive, in addition to production in the German Mercedes Benz plant in Rastatt.
Furthermore, in the first half of 2021 production of the EQS electric luxury sedan will begin in Factory 56 in the Mercedes Benz plant in Sindelfingen (Germany).
EQS is the independent, fully electric member in the new S Class program and is the first to use the new electric architecture for luxury and upper class electric vehicles at Mercedes Benz.
In Factory 56 the S Class and, in the future, the Mercedes Maybach S Class, and the EQS will be produced in a fully flexible manner on the same line.
Factory 56 embodies the future of production at Mercedes Benz and sets new standards for automobile construction.
In Factory 56 efficiency gains of around 25 percent are achieved compared to the previous S Class assembly.
This is made possible by optimizing the entire value chain and full digitalization with MO360, the digital Mercedes Benz production ecosystem.
Furthermore, the Mercedes Benz plant in Bremen will begin production of the EQE business sedan in the second half of 2021, followed shortly thereafter in the Beijing plant.
The EQE thus complements the all‑electric portfolio of the two plants.
The Beijing plant will then produce a total of four Mercedes EQ models for the local market.
The Mercedes Benz plant in Tuscaloosa (USA) is also preparing for production of the EQE SUV and EQS SUV in 2022, which will be produced in the future on the same line with SUVs with conventional and plug in hybrid drives.
In 2022 a total of eight Mercedes EQ electric vehicles will be produced at seven locations on three continents.
This is possible because the company made early investments worldwide in flexibility and technical equipment with future oriented Industry 4.0 solutions.
In the Mercedes Benz AG plants, vehicles with different drive types can be produced in parallel thanks to highly flexible structures.
With a view to the strategic goal of generating more than half of sales with so called xEVs, i.e.
plug in hybrids and electric vehicles, from 2030 on and gradually increasing the purely electric share, the high degree of flexibility is a decisive advantage.
It enables production to be adjusted at short notice depending on market demand.
smart rounds off the electric Mercedes Benz Cars portfolio with three additional models.
The smart EQ fortwo (combined power consumption: 16.5 kWh/100 km, combined COâ‚‚ emissions: 0 g/km)1 and smart EQ fortwo Cabrio (combined power consumption: 16.8 kWh/100 km, COâ‚‚ emissions combined: 0 g/km)1 are produced in Hambach, France, and the smart EQ forfour (combined power consumption: 17.3 kWh/100 km; combined COâ‚‚ emissions: 0 g/km)1 in Novo Mesto, Slovenia.
The next generation of smart electric vehicles will be produced by the joint venture smart Automobile Co., Ltd. in China.
This is a joint venture of Mercedes‑Benz AG and the Zhejiang Geely Group (Geely Holding).
Plug in hybrid drive is important as a key technology and intermediate step toward a purely electric product portfolio.
More than 20 plug in hybrid model variants are already an integral part of the Mercedes Benz product portfolio.
The portfolio will be expanded to include more than 25 model variants by 2025.
Their production therefore also plays an important role in the global production network.
Plug in hybrid vehicles are already rolling off Mercedes Benz Cars assembly lines in almost all car plants. ■