Tesla: Mercedes A-Class EV

[dpeilow]

http://subscribers.wardsauto.com/ar...rs.wardsauto.com/ar/tesla_mercedes_ev_100427/


Always thought the Smart deal was leading here

 

[tdelta1000]

That stated in a video created by the group that design the touch screen software "Roundarch".

Round Arch Video

 

[dpeilow]

Auto Express claims this is the new A-Class

I wonder if the new platform has the same sandwich floor construction as the current car? The impression I get from the text is that it won't. In which case, will it be the current or next one that gets the Tesla treatment?

 

[tdelta1000]

If this is that new A-Class, I think MB has a winner on their hands. I think this should have been the Tesla Motors car for the masses. Darn it!:frown:

 

[shark2k]

If this is that new A-Class, I think MB has a winner on their hands. I think this should have been the Tesla Motors car for the masses. Darn it!:frown:

I personally prefer the Model S over that. Of course that is my opinion and to each his own right?

-Shark2k

 

[ChrisC]

The Mercedes A-class and the Tesla Model S are in entirely different classes, and very different price points. A more apt comparison might be the more affordable car that Tesla might offer after the Model S.

Anyway, it looks a lot like the C230 hatchback, but I bet once we get a rear three quarter shot it'll look a lot more like the rest of the A-class. Meaning not so aggressive after all.

 

[tdelta1000]

I personally prefer the Model S over that. Of course that is my opinion and to each his own right?

-Shark2k

Hey,

Shark2k...I too have my money on the Model S but the image of the A-Class looks nice.

 

[Adm]

Mercedes-Benz to Produce 500 E-Cell A-Class Electric Cars

Mercedes-Benz, as part of its collaboration with Tesla Motors, will produce 500 battery-powered “E-Cell” versions of its small A-Class, introducing the car at the Paris auto show in October.

According to Shirin Emeera, a Daimler spokeswoman, details of the electric car will be announced on Sept. 15. She said the car would be produced at the Mercedes Rastatt plant, near Stuttgart, Germany, where the A-Class (which is not sold in the United States) is produced. Delivery of the cars will begin early next year.

Tesla’s components, which include the battery pack and controller, will be shipped there to be integrated into the car.

Ms. Emeera said the E-Cell would have a range of 124 miles and produce 214 pound-feet of torque. She declined to provide further specifications, but JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technical officer, said the car had an approximately 40 kilowatt-hour battery pack, with roughly 4,000 individual cells. He said the performance of the Mercedes E.V. was “equivalent to or slightly faster than the gas versions of the A-Class.”

 

[green01]

November 6, 2009, I started a thread based on seeing a this vehicle at Tesla.

"While walking by Tesla's Bing Street headquarter's today, I saw a small silver 4 door Mercedes hatchback with Tesla license plates."

I thought before posting, "Would anyone believe me, if I didn't have a photo?". I saw what I saw, so I posted anyway.

Doug and TEG made gracious replies, but I didn't have a picture, so I wondered if I was believed. For the next week, I walked by Tesla with my camera, so I could post a picture, but never saw the car again. Thank goodness, the news is out.

 

[dpeilow]

By way of comparison, the 1997 version...

 

[vfx]

Kinda sad when presented that way. Like a puppy no one wants to adopt...

 

[dpeilow]

Just got this:

Dear Mr Peilow

Mercedes-Benz Model: A-Class

Thank you for your recent e-mail concerning the Mercedes-Benz electric A-Class.

We have been informed by Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd Product Marketing, that these will not be available in the UK. They are being produced only in left hand drive for Germany.

Thank you for contacting the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center Maastricht N.V. with your enquiry.

 

[dpeilow]

Mercedes with Tesla batteries to debut in Paris

The company plans to manufacture 500 of the cars, but they probably won’t ever be sold in the United States. Rather, the company will lease them to customers in Germany for four years.

 

[doug]

November 6, 2009, I started a thread based on seeing a this vehicle at Tesla.

"While walking by Tesla's Bing Street headquarter's today, I saw a small silver 4 door Mercedes hatchback with Tesla license plates."

I thought before posting, "Would anyone believe me, if I didn't have a photo?". I saw what I saw, so I posted anyway.

Doug and TEG made gracious replies, but I didn't have a picture, so I wondered if I was believed. For the next week, I walked by Tesla with my camera, so I could post a picture, but never saw the car again. Thank goodness, the news is out.

Don't worry, we believed you. Link to that thread here. I got some vaguely confirming "no comment" statements from Tesla at the time. Seems you got the vehicle wrong, though.

 

[tdelta1000]

Not the Benz A-Class I was expecting... But I do hope it is a success for Tesla Motors.

 

[vfx]

First test drive (video is just a walk around)

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/cars-transportation/mercedes-electric-a-class-460910

He says it's fun. Not the same thing I would say for about my drives of the Volt, Think, or LEAF (mule). Good for Tesla to know how th make an EV that capitalizes on the benefits of electric powertrains.

I have heard rumblings that Tesla's version of the Smart car is much better that the one that will come out without Tesla's refinements.

Tesla doesn't just "get it" they drive it!

 

[dpeilow]

Mercedes A-Class E-cell

Although it’s not officially coming to the UK in this form, chances are a battery-powered version of the all-new A-Class – due in 2013 – will follow. And after a 40-mile drive in a wide range of situations, our first impressions are good.


Under the skin lie two lithium-ion battery packs supplied by Tesla. These power the single electric motor, which produces 94bhp and 290Nm of torque. The car is great on urban roads – 0-37mph is dispatched in 5.5 seconds – but a little bit slower on the open road.


It takes 14 seconds to cover 0-62mph, and the top speed is restricted to 93mph.


The discreet on-board energy use display showed a battery charge of 82 per cent when we got behind the wheel, and 68 per cent once we had completed our 40-mile drive. That’s testament to Mercedes’ claim that the range can extend to 155 miles or even beyond, depending on the way you’re driving and the route you take.

...

The Tesla batteries are effectively 4,000 laptop cells joined together, and they have a life expectancy of four years and 60,000 miles. So it’s no coincidence that the only way to get your hands on one of these cars is to sign a four-year, £750-per-month lease deal.

 

[doug]

Mercedes A-Class E-cell

Sad to say the performance numbers make it sound like another castrated Smart ED. At least the top speed is reasonable. They aren't particularly optimistic about the battery life. Hard to tell if Daimler is making an honest effort here.

The two packs sound interesting. I wonder how they compare to those in that RAV4 EV conversion.

 

[dpeilow]

Yeah and the lease is what, $1100 a month? For four years.

Anyone would think MB want to price this out of the market.

 

[PopSmith]

Yeah and the lease is what, $1100 a month? For four years.

Anyone would think MB want to price this out of the market.

Plus Daimler saying the pack's life expectancy is only 4-years/60,000-miles isn't doing EVs any favor. I thought I remember reading here on the forum that the Roadster ESS had a expected life span of 7 years/100,000 mi back at the beginning of 2009.

That's pretty good for a first-(recent?)-generation EV battery pack. Nearly two years later it's probably improved, even if only slightly.