Mercedes-Benz unveils first all-electric show car

The German manufacturer unveiled its new Vision EQ Silver Arrow model at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California last Friday (31 August), marking the first time that its parent company Daimler has revealed a fully electric show vehicle.

The single-seater car is fitted with two electric motors – one on each axle – and an 80kWh lithium-ion battery. Mercedes-Benz claims that the EV, which is due to be released in 2019, can travel up to 250 miles (420km) on a single charge.

Based on the Mercedes-Benz W 125 car from 1937, the new model has a 402 horsepower and features a panoramic screen that displays information in 3D in front of the driver.

Daimler’s chief design officer Gorden Wagener said the new EV “embodies progressive luxury” and that it provides an insight into what consumers can expect from future Mercedes-Benz designs.

The Vision EQ Silver Arrow launch was welcomed by Goodwood Motor Circuit, which dubbed the model “the sexiest electric car yet”.

Daimler, which also owns Smart and Mitsubishi Fuso, has been using a lithium-ion battery technology in more than 80,000 hybrid and electric vehicles since 2012 and has pledged to bring 10 all-electric models to the market by 2022 through Mercedes-Benz alone.

Including the Vision EQ Silver Arrow model, Mercedes-Benz has launched five fully electric and eight hybrid vehicles to date.

Mercedes-Benz first unveiled a host of EV designs at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, where the company stated ambitions for its electrified classic models to take on Tesla. A new Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept EV is in the works, with a manufacturing timeframe scheduled for 2019.

 Daimler’s EV commitment extends beyond its own range to cover public charging infrastructure as well. Daimler is one of the six car makers that have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop “a sizable number” of ultra-fast, high-powered charging networks in Europe.

The firm has also invested around €500m in a secondary battery plant, located at Kamenz, to facilitate rising demand and “bring about the energy revolution”.

Mercedes-Benz has made moves to introduce a “private energy revolution” to UK, after Daimler subsidiary Deustche ACCUMOTIVE commenced deliveries of energy storage units that can connect with renewable energy sources in 2016.

Sarah George