Mercedes-Benz Electric-Only Plans Come In Full Swing In The Form Of Eight Battery Factories
Last Thursday, (July, 28) Mercedes-Benz revealed its plan to become a fully electric car company by the end of 2030. This ambitious goal will undoubtedly push the luxury automaker to work better as a collective force, train its employees, and garner the batteries it needs to power its products.
The premium brand has also given itself a little breathing space in that objective, saying that it will be “ready to go all-electric by the end of the decade, where markets allow.” This could be another way of saying that some combustion engines that are already geared with 48-volt mild-hybrid systems will be constructed and sold past the decade.
“We have a very clear plan to rapidly scale BEVs; we want to get on this journey to a BEV (battery electric) only world,” Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG CEO Ola Källenius said during a media call after the announcement. “We want to be the people that make that happen, not just let it happen for us and go with the flow, but really taking initiative. And we believe also that the luxury segment, where we belong, has all the hallmarks of being a leading segment for this transition.”
Mercedes-Benz has already been making important steps, as the company announced last week that it acquired YASA, an electric motor company based in the U.K. It has resolved that it will need a battery capacity of over 200-gigawatt hours. To comply with these requirements, the automaker intends to establish eight battery factories with current partners, along with a new partner to make cells.
These new plants encompass one located in North America, three in China and four in Europe. The automaker is staying on top of these factories, which are well established for constructing battery systems. Mercedes-Benz did not however reveal the precise locations of the North American plant. We do know that this particular plant is near the existing assembly plants.
Additionally, Mercedes-Benz says that it will collaborate with new European partners to construct and effectively make future cells and modules. This plan is calculated and one that the company says will assure the region “remains at the heart of the auto industry.”
The automaker has also teamed up with the Silicon Valley battery materials startup, Sila Nano, which raised $590 million earlier this year to aid in advancing the upcoming wave of batteries. More specifically, the startup is assisting Mercedes-Benz in bettering energy density by utilizing silicon-carbon composite in the anode, which should improve boost range and cut charging times.
Moreover, Mercedes-Benz is feeding its curiosity into solid-state battery technology and is supposedly discussing with partners to make batteries that are even higher in energy density and safety.
The plan revealed last week fed off of previous aims to construct and sell more electrics. In 2017, the company said that it would have a fully electric lineup by 2022; Involving gas-hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or battery electric vehicles. Last Thursday, Mercedes-Benz said that it will offer battery-electric vehicles in every segment
On top of this, the manufacturer said that by 2025, its three newly launched vehicle architectures will be fully electric. They anticipate that these vehicles, both all-electric and hybrid, will comprise 50% of its sales. Buyers will also have the option to choose an all-electric version for every Mercedes-Benz model.
In order to meet this goal, the luxury car maker is releasing three electric-only architectures that will establish the basis of all its new models. It’s MB.EA platform will be utilized for its passenger cars, the AMG®.EA bolster its performance Mercedes-AMG® cars, and the VAN.EA architecture will be used for electric passenger minivans and light commercial vehicles. The automaker has made known of its “electric first” compact car architecture, dubbed MMA, which will release vehicles by 2024.
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