Aiming to take the lead in electric drive, Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to go all electric by the end of the decade, where market conditions allow. Shifting from ‘electric-first’ to ‘electric-only’, the world’s pre-eminent luxury car company is accelerating towards an emissions-free and software-driven future.

Mercedes-Benz has announced four all-new electric vehicles based on its upcoming large-car Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA). The EQS luxury sedan, with an electric range of more than 700 km (WLTP), is the first representative of this new dedicated architecture. It will be followed by the EQE – presented in world première at the IAA beginning of September, the EQS SUV and the EQE-SUV. In addition the sub brands AMG, Maybach and G-Class will go electric.

From 2025, multiple further models will be added to the electric vehicles portfolio on the second all-new dedicated electric platform, the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) designed for compact and medium-sized cars. All newly launched vehicle architectures will be electric-only and customers will be able to choose an all-electric alternative for every model the company makes.

Mercedes me Charge – Plug & Charge

In order to achieve this goal, lead in electric drive, a suitable charging infrastructure and a convenient charging solution are of course key to electric mobility. In this context, Mercedes-Benz has developed ‘Mercedes me Charge’.

With Mercedes me Charge, drivers of a Mercedes-EQ or plug-in hybrid model with the latest infotainment generation MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) have optional access to one of the world's largest charging networks, with over 300 different operators of public charging stations (cities, car parks, motorways, shopping centers, etc.) in Europe alone. Mercedes-EQ’s optimized navigation enables Mercedes-Benz customers to find these stations easily. This convenient access to the charging stations is provided by the Mercedes me Charge card, the Mercedes me App or via the vehicle's media display. Mercedes me Charge also allows access to the quick-charging stations of the pan-European network IONITY. Especially over long distances, the short charging times ensure a pleasant journey.

The new Mercedes me Charge function Plug & Charge makes it even easier to charge the EQS at suitable public charging stations: charging starts as soon as the charging cable is plugged in; no further authentication from the customer is required. The vehicle and the charging station communicate directly via the charging cable.

As before, Mercedes me Charge customers continue to benefit from the integrated payment function with automatic payment. The customer chooses the preferred payment method only once. Every charging process is then automatically debited – even abroad. The individual charging processes are clearly listed in a monthly invoice.

“But how sustainable is the charging process currently?” The goal is that electric vehicles in the future will be recharged using green power only. Mercedes-Benz wants to offer their customers a carbon-neutral driving experience and has already made good progress towards achieving this vision.

Sustainability in charging: use of energy from renewable resources for public charging

Green power, that is to say electricity from renewable resources, is a significant factor in the life-cycle of an electric car for preventing CO₂ emissions. This is because around 50 percent of the CO₂ footprint of a battery-electric vehicle is produced during the use, i.e. due to CO₂-affected charging sessions. That’s why Mercedes-Benz Belgium Luxembourg has started the market launch of Green Charging for all EQ battery electric vehicles since 2021.

Mercedes-Benz Belgium Luxembourg ensures with the local Green Charging initiative that all charging sessions with the EQA, EQC, EQV and EQS and all future Mercedes-EQ models are CO₂ neutral for the first 200,000 kilometers, regardless of location or charging service. To achieve this, Guarantees of Origin are purchased in advance for each registered EQ model. This ensures that an equivalent amount of electricity from renewable resources is fed into the grid. In other words, the charged amounts of energy are compensated with green power upfront the actual charging process.

As a result, Mercedes-Benz for the first time offers its customers the possibility to charge at public charging stations knowing that the use of energy from renewable resources is ensured. After all, it is not always clear whether the car is charged with green energy or with gray energy from traditional sources, such as gas and coal-fired power stations. The high-quality Guarantees of Origin exclusively originate from solar and wind farms in Belgium and Luxembourg, making a sustainable contribution to the local environment.

Ambition 2039

The path to emission-free mobility, including the Green Charging-initiative, is a key element of the Daimler corporate strategy Ambition 2039, the company's goal to offer a CO₂-neutral model range from 2039. Also the supply chain plays a pivotal role in implementing this sustainability strategy. The aim is therefore to motivate the supply chain to follow our ambitions with regard to CO₂ reduction and to use raw materials sustainably. With a view to the vehicle production and the energy used there, Mercedes-Benz is reaching another important milestone. The own plants will produce on a CO₂-neutral basis from 2022. The ultimate goal of Ambition 2039 is individual mobility without emissions. Already at the end of this decade, the brand will be ready to go full electric – if market conditions allow.

By charging CO2-neutral, the use phase is now also made more sustainable. This is a significant step in the right direction, because the current European energy mix shows that about 50% of the CO2 footprint of fully electric cars comes from the use phase - taking into account vehicles that are produced CO2 neutral. By charging the electric car exclusively with green energy from solar and wind farms, there is not only local emission-free driving, but it also avoids the CO2 emissions that would be released when generating electricity in, for example, coal or gas power plants.