Thursday, September 27, 2012

2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive Makes Official, Expensive Debut





One of the most exciting cars in the electric vehicle world has been the Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell concept. Well the official version will be called the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive, and it retains the crazy horsepower, pure-electric power, and insane speeds of the concept.

And you can only buy it if you live in Europe and can afford to shell out $434,000. That ain’t cheap!
But for that monstrous sum of money, you get one hell of a car. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive packs a 1,200 pound, 60 kWh battery that sends power to four electric motors. The combined output of these motors is 740 horsepower and 737 ft-lbs of torque, way more than its gas-powered cousin.

Thanks to a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, Mercedes kept the SLS AMG Electric Drive’s weight low enough for the electric supercar to go from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Alas, top speed is limited to just 155 mph, and the range is similarly limited to just 150 miles. That’s a far cry from the Tesla Model S, which delivers similar 0-60 times, and more range for about a quarter of the price. If you must have a Mercedes EV though, there is always the B-Class Electric Drive.

Rumor has it that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive will only be available in Europe though, so most of you won’t have to worry about all of that. Mercedes has definitely crafted an electric supercar, and it looks especially lovely in that electric blue color. But is it good enough to topple Tesla, who is planning their own electric supercar?

Source: Mercedes

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