Official Mercedes B-class EV thread

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evnow said:
fotajoye said:
Both of these cars are heavy compared to the BMW i3 at 2700 lbs. The Leaf is about 3300 lbs and so is the Benz. But, none of them are a leap into the future simply because the current traction batteries are expensive, heavy and low in energy density; that causes the auto makers, even with sales incentives from the States and Federal Government, to compromise in order to sell the car at a price point acceptable to buyers.

Of the three cars, BMW is the one moving in the right direction by reducing weight and friction and improving aerodynamics while waiting for the next generation battery. And, of all the car makers, Tesla is the only one concerned with the health of the Planet instead of counting their beans. Nissan has been at parade rest for four years happy to sell a limited range car and to wait for the others to catch up.
I don't quite get what you are writing - BMW hardly saves much battery by using CF. It has 2 kWh less - for 3 miles less on EPA range in a much smaller 4 seater compared to Leaf. What good is all that CF ?

Tesla is mostly concerned about selling expensive toys to rich people. Let us get real here.
I'm not defending any of these cars because I think they are way behind where they could be, even Tesla, "the rich man's toy." as you say. Tony, What is the CD of the i3? I thought it was around .3 or better; even the Leaf is .28 these are not too bad unless you compare them to aircraft.
 
fotajoye said:
I'm not defending any of these cars because I think they are way behind where they could be, even Tesla, "the rich man's toy." as you say. Tony, What is the CD of the i3? I thought it was around .3 or better; even the Leaf is .28 these are not too bad unless you compare them to aircraft.

And the huge Tesla Model S is 0.24

I don't need to compare to aircraft. The 15 year old GM EV-1 was 0.19.

Big clunky cars like the Lexus GX (0.35), the Lexus RX (0.33), the Audi A5 (0.31) aren't that far off from an i3.

The Toyota Prius achieves 0.25. The upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan will reportedly have a Cd of just 0.23.
 
evnow said:
fotajoye said:
Tesla is mostly concerned about selling expensive toys to rich people. Let us get real here.
This is one of the stupidest statements I have ever read on here. There are a ton of people that are not rich, but drive a Model S. It's all about cost of ownership. The cost of ownership is the same as a 4 door diesel pickup. Go look up the sales of those in the US.
 
Then why does the BMW do no better than the Leaf with the same size battery?

fotajoye said:
Of the three cars, BMW is the one moving in the right direction by reducing weight and friction and improving aerodynamics while waiting for the next generation battery.
 
qwk said:
The cost of ownership is the same as a 4 door diesel pickup.

I was wondering why all diesel pickups disappeared from my neighborhood and got replaced by a bunch of new Teslas. Now it is all clear to me.
 
"Tesla is the only one concerned with the health of the Planet instead of counting their beans."

PLEASE!
 
From insideevs.com:

"First Batch Of Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive EVs To Hit US Soil This Weekend"

http://insideevs.com/first-batch-mercedes-benz-b-class-electric-drive-evs-hit-us-soil-weekend/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
qwk said:
This is one of the stupidest statements I have ever read on here.
More stupid than those who can't even quote properly ? :lol:

Not that I expected anything else from Tesla fanboys.
 
evnow said:
qwk said:
This is one of the stupidest statements I have ever read on here.
More stupid than those who can't even quote properly ? :lol:

Not that I expected anything else from Tesla fanboys.
:roll: Not a fanboy, just live in the current reality. Something you obviously have no grasp on. I suppose the next thing you post is how much smarter you are because of your superior post count. :lol:
 
I stopped in at the local MB dealer at lunch and asked to see the car, even though I was 99% sure they wouldn't have one.

They were just slightly less clueless about the car than the other time I stopped in ("Oh that's the hydrogen car") but they did look it up and determined it wouldn't be available until 2015 in FL. The guy did find a "Dealer ordering guide" pdf (12 pages) which he emailed me. It appears to be internal use only, he probably wasn't supposed to distribute it, but it doesn't contain any deep dark secrets. Dated June 4th:

EDIT: I see the info on the range button and probably most of this was already known... oh well, here it is anyway.

MSRP $41,450*
Power 132kW/177hp
Torque 251 lb.-ft.
0-60 MPH 7.9 sec
Range 85 miles (est.)
Seating Capacity 5


Optional Equipment Program MY14 B-Class Electric
P01 – Premium Package $2,980
232 - Garage Door Opener
245 - Compass
249 - Auto Dimming Mirrors
518 - iPod/MP3 Media Interface
536 - SiriusXM Satellite Radio
810 - harman/kardon Sound
873 - Heated Seats
614 – Bi-Xenon Headlights
320 – Multimedia Package (requires P1) $2,370
512 – COMAND System w/ Hard Drive Navigation
218 – Rear View Camera
Stand-Alone Options
218 – Rear View Camera $460 234 – Blind Spot Assist $550
235 - PARKTRONIC w/ Park Assist $970
518 – iPod Interface $310
536 – SiriusXM Satellite Radio $460
736 – Black Ash $325
873 – Heated Seats $580
B50 – Recuperation Paddles $350
H03 - Burl Walnut Wood Trim matte $325
Accessory Options
tbd.
318 – Interior Package* $1,690
20x – Leather Upholstery
P34 – Exclusive Package (ARTICO on dash and doors)
880 – IR remote summer/open close on driver door
*Note: Only in conjunction with P01: Premium Package
P58 – Range Package $600
597 – Heated Windshield
Range Button’ for extended range function Additional insulation in doors and roof
Upper grill opening restrictions

Spotlight: Recuperation (B50)
B-Class Electric Drive is the first electric car with a radar based recuperation system (optional):
a)
Manual Recuperation: Increase or reduce recuperation using the steering wheel paddle shifters. Three recuperation levels are available from gliding to maximum recuperation.
b)
Radar-based Recuperation: Helps to increase range by storing energy efficiently and supporting the driver. The sensors detect the distance to the vehicle ahead and its speed. Intensity of recuperation is automatically adjusted to the current traffic situation. Adjustment infinitely variable from gliding (no recuperation) to maximum recuperation. (Please note: Radar-based recuperation is not to be confused with DISTRONIC Plus – it is not a distance control function and cannot maintain the distance to the vehicle in front.)

AND THIS IS REALLY COOL!!!!

Spotlight: Range Package (P58)
By pressing the range-button on the middle console (see highlighted below) prior to charging, the maximum charging level for the battery will be temporalily increased in the following charging cycle, therefore adding additional capacity. This enables in increased range of up to 17 miles.
Other included features are a heated windshield (enables fast and energy-efficient defogging without using A/C or heat) and additional measures of isolation for doors and roof to increase efficiency and range.
 
So they put a radar on the thing... but then use it to control regen instead of the cruise control? I do not want my regen amount bouncing all over the place depending on how close I am to the car in front of me. But I do want radar cruise on an electric car for sitting behind a 60mph truck in the slow lane and maximizing range.
 
http://insideevs.com/june-2014-plug-electric-vehicle-sales-report-card/

Daimler sold exactly zero of these in May and they aren’t expected until September Well, not so much anymore. Mercedes (refreshingly enough) is actually moving a little fast than expected and customer’s ordering at the dealership level are being told that cars could start arriving in July.

The B-Class ED (US allotment) is now currently in production in Germany, and a quick check in by ourselves with the company did indeed yield a new arrival estimate of mid-summer now – oh, Mercedes, you are always so careful to not over promise!

The car will be available in limited states in 2014 (CA, CT, MD, OR, NJ, NY, RI and VT) — and then nationwide to the unwashed masses in early 2015. Job 1 of B-Class ED production was completed on April 11th


Perhaps we'll see a few sold this month ... we'll see ... came across this nice shot of the smartphone (older iPhone in this case) app

b-class-electric-drive-connectivity.jpg
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
You mean "the one you would get if you were ever to get an ev" ?
Yes. At least 50 miles more range, QC and the appropriate infrastructure, and getting the price down to no more than $35k and it would start to be a serious consideration. Of the current BEV options, it would have to be this or the RAV4, but the lack of QC eliminates both.
 
Mercedes-Benz (along with Smart) will bring the most electric vehicles to the Silvretta E-Auto Rally in Austria.
This is the 5th year of the rally, and will include 150 vintage cars and 30 electric vehicles.
Mercedes and Smart will have the Mercedes B-Class F-Cell, two B-Class Electric Drives, SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive, and three smart fortwo ED models at the rally.

All the cars will face ascents of more than 2000 meters, and slope gradients in places exceeding 15 per cent. Over the three days, the cars will cover 362 km (224miles), covering up to 133km per day (82 miles).

redLEAF said:
Built to take on the Austrian Alps ? ...
 
EPA is posting only 3 miles more total range on the MBZ - B-class ED as well as the LEAF beats both the i3 and B-class on total range ... not saying it's right or wrong as YMMV but this puts a damper on expecting much more range even with a larger battery (but heavier as well) EV. No mention of 'range extender' but it's not supposed to be used on a regular basis anyway so was not included in calculations.

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=35207&id=35247&id=34699&id=34775

It's still of interest to me but perhaps less so now that Nissan will sell us replacement batteries post warranty --- as these start to roll out in the zero emissions states it will be good to see some 'real world' range numbers. The smart ED I was originally considering is rated at 68 miles of total range by the EPA --- this is indeed 'conservative' as one I tested last weekend had an indicated 60 miles of range showing at 80% charge (or about 75 miles at full charge if you can believe the GOM) ... as always, would expect better range during moderate temps.

In searching for someone who might have started a personal ownership blog on this car I came across this video review from one of my favorite pundits on CNET Brian Cooley (love him or leave him, he doesn't typically hold back)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc4lXBwxUZ4[/youtube]
 
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