Mercedes To Boost Electric Range Of Plug-In Hybrids As It Adds Models

2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE350e Plug-In Hybrid

Last year and this year see a veritable onslaught of low-volume German plug-in hybrids, both sedans and SUVs. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have each said they'll offer plug-in hybrid versions of all their high-volume vehicles by 2020. Those include the Mercedes-Benz S-Class large sedan, GLE-Class SUV (nee ML-Class), and C-Class sedan; for BMW, the first is the X5 xDrive 40e SUV that competes directly against the GLE.

They will be followed by a plug-in hybrid version of the new 2017 E-Class just introduced last week at the Detroit Auto Show. But virtually all of those models have electric ranges of no more than 14 to 20 miles, as does the Audi A3 e-Tron compact hatchback that went on sale last month. Hope is at hand, however, or will be within a couple of years: Mercedes, for one, is planning to boost battery size to give its plug-in hybrids longer range, likely starting in 2018 or so.

2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class (E350e plug-in hybrid)

That news comes from an interview with Thomas Weber, product chief for Mercedes, published yesterday on the Australian automotive site Motoring. Weber says that Mercedes will have launched 10 separate plug-in hybrid models by the end of 2017, but that's not the end of the story.

“The next-generation vehicle will overcome the 30-km to 50-km hurdle," he told Motoring, "and then the next generation after that will be 80 to 100 km when they run as pure electric cars.”

A range of 30 to 50 kilometers (19 to 31 miles) would be a noticeable boost on today's ranges, but likely not enough to ensure running a majority of miles on electric power. That will come in the second generation after the current models, when 80 to 100 km (50 to 62 miles) would get all models into the range of the current 2016 Chevrolet Volt. As GM often mentions, nine out of every 10 trips in the new Volt can be done exclusively on battery power recharged from the grid.

2016 Mercedes-Benz S550e Plug-In Hybrid

It's worth noting that BMW has already previewed its system to get to that second level, known as Power eDrive. The system uses a single electric motor for lower-speed travel around town, along with a battery pack large enough to permit Volt-like levels of electric usage. And given the tendency of German carmakers to follow each other's leads, you can likely expect the same from Audi.

BMW already has its first generation of all-electric cars in the market, while Audi and Mercedes will both launch 200-mile or better electric cars around 2018 or 2019. But the big question--unanswered by Weber--is when that second generation of Mercedes plug-in hybrids will arrive. If you assume two- or three-year improvements in lithium-ion cell energy density, that likely won't be until the 2018 or 2019 model years.

Mercedes AMG May Build Hybrid Supercar To Compete With Porsche 918 Spyder

Once upon a time, you could count upon Mercedes-Benz preferred tuner AMG to push traditional combustion engines to their limits. But we leave in a new day and age where hybrid drivetrains are proving to be even more potent than the nigh-unlimited displacement once afforded by low gas prices.

Motor Trend reports Mercedes AMG is planning to build a new supercar with a hybrid drivetrain that would put it on the same performance plane as the Porsche 918 Spyder. It’s just the latest salvo in the growing conflict I’ve taken to calling the hybrid horsepower wars. These automakers have gone beyond seeing hybrids simply as fuel sippers, and more as a new way to make even more absurd levels of horsepower.

Indeed, it would appear that Mercedes hasn’t been able to find a seat at the high-end of the ultra-performance car market. True, the gullwing-wearing SLS AMG proved popular with buyers, and an electric version even managed to impress Jeremy Clarkson. But Mercedes hasn’t had a ready answer for the top trio of hybrid hypercars, namely the Porsche 918, McLaren P1, and of course the LaFerrari.

Enter AMG, which has refocused its mission to bring Mercedes race car technology to production vehicles, including some of the hybrid systems developed for Formula 1. The in-house tuner has already said it was going to pursue both four-cylinder and hybrid projects, but this is going to be more of a halo car loaded with serious racing technology. If that sounds expensive, well, it’s a freakin’ Mercedes, so you better believe it’ll set you back six, maybe even seven figures…if it’s even built. There’s no time frame, name, or other details to really go on beyond Motor Trend’s piece.

AMG hasn’t shied away from electrification projects in the past, and if they could combine a 700 horsepower twin-turbo V8 with half as much power from a pair of electric motors, you’re looking at a 1,000+ horsepower Mercedes hybrid supercar. It’s about time Mercedes takes up its battle banner and enters the Hybrid Horsepower War with a menacing machine all its own.

Mercedes AMG May Build Hybrid Supercar To Compete With Porsche 918 Spyder

Once upon a time, you could count upon Mercedes-Benz preferred tuner AMG to push traditional combustion engines to their limits. But we leave in a new day and age where hybrid drivetrains are proving to be even more potent than the nigh-unlimited displacement once afforded by low gas prices.

Motor Trend reports Mercedes AMG is planning to build a new supercar with a hybrid drivetrain that would put it on the same performance plane as the Porsche 918 Spyder. It’s just the latest salvo in the growing conflict I’ve taken to calling the hybrid horsepower wars. These automakers have gone beyond seeing hybrids simply as fuel sippers, and more as a new way to make even more absurd levels of horsepower.

Indeed, it would appear that Mercedes hasn’t been able to find a seat at the high-end of the ultra-performance car market. True, the gullwing-wearing SLS AMG proved popular with buyers, and an electric version even managed to impress Jeremy Clarkson. But Mercedes hasn’t had a ready answer for the top trio of hybrid hypercars, namely the Porsche 918, McLaren P1, and of course the LaFerrari.

Enter AMG, which has refocused its mission to bring Mercedes race car technology to production vehicles, including some of the hybrid systems developed for Formula 1. The in-house tuner has already said it was going to pursue both four-cylinder and hybrid projects, but this is going to be more of a halo car loaded with serious racing technology. If that sounds expensive, well, it’s a freakin’ Mercedes, so you better believe it’ll set you back six, maybe even seven figures…if it’s even built. There’s no time frame, name, or other details to really go on beyond Motor Trend’s piece.

AMG hasn’t shied away from electrification projects in the past, and if they could combine a 700 horsepower twin-turbo V8 with half as much power from a pair of electric motors, you’re looking at a 1,000+ horsepower Mercedes hybrid supercar. It’s about time Mercedes takes up its battle banner and enters the Hybrid Horsepower War with a menacing machine all its own.

Mercedes AMG is Going Green w/ Hybrid Tech

“Honestly, I would say yes,” began said AMG chairman Tobias Moers. “… yes, for sure [we will make hybrid AMGs]. I can’t say when, for sure, but we have already started a lot of research.” That’s confirmation- as if any was needed in the face of new laws in London and Beijing, that the company’s record-setting (and much-loved) SLS Electric Drive was not a one-time foray into the EV market, and that the company’s ginormous investment in a hybrid drivetrain for Formula 1 is well and truly working to improve the breed.

Despite their recent F1 dominance in the face of brands like Ferrari and McLaren, however, don’t expect a million-dollar Mercedes hybrid anytime soon. That’s because AMG is eager to follow its parent company Mercedes’ recent volume play/inexorable march down-market. As such, you can expect to see more electrification of “more accessible” AMG models like the CLA and SLK. A tuner hybrid “wouldn’t need to be in the super car class,” Moers explained to AutoExpress. “AMG needs to be an approachable brand.”

We’ve already seen some performance-enhancing Mercedes-Benz hybrid tech turn up in the newest S class and C class Benzes- as well as the first of the new-generation tuner specials. And, if Brabus can do it, it should be no huge task for the boys from Affalterbach to fit their own signature go-fast parts to the gas-electric (or diesel-electric) MBs. Expect to see the first “concept” performance hybrid to be spinning on the company’s auto show stands sometime in 2015 …

… that is, unless you count this thing or that thing as Mercedes’ first performance hybrid. Once you check those out, let us know what you think of this brave, new, electric go-fast world in the comments, below.

Source: AutoExpress UK, via GTSpirit.