Mercedes is all ready for an electric offensive and has stated that the first production model of the new EQ product brand is to be produced in Bremen by the end of this decade. The production model will be based on the EQ show car, an electric vehicle in the look of a sporty SUV Coupe that was presented at the 2016 Paris Motor Show in September. Mercedes-Benz Cars aims to have over ten all-electric vehicles in its portfolio by 2025. The new electric vehicles can be built within the existing global production network with sites on four continents. Next to vehicles with conventional combustion engines, plug-in hybrids of the C-Class and the GLC are also rolling off the production line. In addition, the GLC F-CELL – the worldwide first fuel-cell vehicle with plug-in technology – will be produced in Bremen. With the confirmation for the new Electro-SUV of the EQ brand, cars ‘made in Bremen’ will cover the entire range of intelligent drive technologies in the future.
With an expected range of 500 km, the battery for the new electric vehicle will be developed by the Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE and produced in Kamenz. In future, ACCUMOTIVE will produce lithium-ion batteries for all electrified vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and smart – including plug-in hybrids as well as fully electric vehicles. On top of that, the site will produce batteries for stationary Mercedes-Benz energy storage units as well as 48-volt-systems. Daimler plans an overall investment of more than one billion euros in a global battery production compound.
