Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive
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- Опубликовано: 18 авг 2018
- Today myself and James take a spin in the very rare Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive. I've had use of this Merc for a week and all I can say is, It's utterly fantastic and very much underrated. Remember, this is all Tesla running gear with German build quality. For a family sized EV with excellent access, power and at a reasonable price, this is well worth some consideration, if you can find one that is..... Here's what we thought.
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I drive a B250e since a year. Except missing fast Charge and huge consumption it is a fantastic Car. Range anything between 90 and 200 km. Depends heavily in drive Mode and AC usage. Has active battery cooling and heating. All E stuff has a Tesla logo on it. I love the Car.
Another entertaining and interesting video - intrigued by your teaser comments !!! Thanks James & Kate.
Great video and you guys are a great couple. Thank you for sharing.
Wow what a glowing review! After seeing this I checked around to see what a used B Class sold for here in the USA. Lo and behold I discovered there was one 12 miles away on a used car lot. I wound up buying a 2014 model with 20,000 miles on it for $16,500. Just as you report, it's a wonderfully comfortable car. I'm delighted so far. Some issues have come up with NAV and the heater fan, but the local dealer here in Raleigh, NC is very supportive. This is only the 2nd one they've ever seen and everyone stops to look at it.
Excellent news. These truly are underated and excellent cars to drive. Enjoy your ride sir 🙏🏻
I live in the same state in the USA. What has your range been like in the summer and winter? Have you been able to get a small road trip right at 100 miles? Thank you for sharing the info
Thanks for another video. I've been waiting for you for awhile and am happy to see you again. Keep up the good work and thanks again. :-)
Thanks, it's been a busy few weeks, back to normal now though
I see one of these around Dundee and wondered what they were like- thanks for another great video guys!
Ah thanks El
The range extender is a Button near the middle of the silver buttons with the single led above it. It lets you charge the battery to 92-93% instead of the normal 77%. Giving you extended range. It isn't recommended to use it often, just when you need extra range. It will boost the 87+ mile range to 105+ miles.
The Power available gauge shows amount of power from the engine for when the battery is low or when you are using Eco or Eco+ modes instead of Sport mode. That is another of the silver buttons. The end silver buttons are heated seats left and right, next to the range extender is the parking assist mode and on the other side the defrost? or something.
In the United States (Not sold in Canada) the charger is single phase 10 kW AC only. No DCFC.
Great video.
love those wipers...I have the drive selector but not the lovely wipers. GREAT VIDEO GUYS -- CONCISE /CALM / FACTUAL/ HUMOUR/ YOUR GREAT TEAM. CHEERS. GRAHAM. on the 19" now.
thanks Graham
Had mine for 18 months great car not got all the goodies your car has but apart from charging it is the best car I have ever had.
I've just seen one come up for sale in a Mercedes garage in Dublin.Its 2017 model and selling for 21000euro. I've been driving a Renault fluence ze EV for 3yrs now and have lived without rapid charging. Seriously considering buying this mercedes.
Thanks for the in-depth video.Your both very knowledgeable and video shot beautiful.Looking forward to seeing many more from you guys
great fully electric Mercedes car. Nice to see....
"However, it's powered by the past." I love that line.
I liked the video but what I best enjoyed is seeing live child illustration space and comfort fitting. What I wanted to see more was the inner and boot and features with drivers convenience. I would also like to see the boot size for a small family and pram fit etc...Thank you
Great video guys , love the music.
Bobby
thanks Bobby, thought you might like it
Great review. Love the female perspective. My wife doesn't care a lick about cars. I read car magazines cover to cover and think of little else. We started with a Carvana e-Golf for a week. It was a HOOT and Carvana was the best buying experience ever but the car didn't do anything for her. Everyone comes to me for advice on cars and I didn't know about the B250e. Found one sticker fully loaded 2017 with less than 5k miles was $49k. Purchased for $19k. That is Lambo/mile money! Wife LOVES LOVES LOVES her car now. This review captures it perfectly. It is the best value of any car on the market right now. Used low mile 2014 is $12k. Crazy for what you get. I am thinking of buying a 2nd one (perfect teen car - can't go more than 40 miles before turning around and NEVER beg for gas money!). :)
I love my B250 I've had it almost a year now and it's my daily commuter. I've exceeded the range almost double now definitely great car for the value now
How did you manage to increase the range, did you modify the battery pack? If you did how ?
The 18 leaf has lane keep which will nudge you back into line, it is a bit disconcerting but it's kinda nice. It will let you just cross the line, it doesn't like it but if you force it to without signaling then you can if you really want.
Nice as you say thou no rapid charging let's it down , nice to see you back it's been a while 👍👍
Love my B-Electric. It is MB quality through and through (when I need longer range I trade cars with my son who has a Prius. What a tinny car! Doors should like they have no insulation in them. At 50k miles feels like the suspension is shot and problems are starting with the transmission). I do have two major complaints/design flaws. I won't say anything about no DC charging or range as I know those up front.
First the Cruise Control controls are at the 8 o'clock position (changed from the 11 o'clock position on every other MB I have owned). Here in the US you are taught to drive with your hands at 10 and 2 o'clock. The steering wheel even has thumb notches for the driver to keep their hands at 10 and 2, but if you do that then the CC stalk is out of reach.
Second: The car has a radar controlled breaking/regen that is very good in stop and go traffic. However, it will not break the CC setting. The car with CC set will drive right up the back end of the car in front of you.
Small complaints are: The high cost to keep it on-line with MB, with the total exceeding $50/mo. The internet is crappy when online with MB. MB's app for the iPhone is marginal. The dealer is not very responsive. No path to up-grade software for Apple Play. Harsh ride. Very hard seats. Visor mirrors have the light in the car's ceiling rather than on either side of the mirror. The pedestrian alert is not very loud or distinctive. The controls that have two modes, i.e. windows and CC, are very sensitive and very easy to override.
Things I love: Great build quality. I can do everything with my key fob in my pocket, i.e. lock and unlock the car, start it up, drive, etc. You sit up not down. Lots of back seat leg room. I don't have to take my hat off while driving the car, i.e. there is lots of head room. In sport mode it is a hell of a stop-light racer! Traction control is very good. It is quiet due to lots of insulation in doors body and ceiling. Fourty-five minutes of pre-heating/cooling while plugged in and five to ten minutes if parked and not plugged in.
This was one of my options for electric as owning a few Mercedes Benz in the pass I knew the build quality would be second to none but the lack of a rapid wouldn't work for the trips I needed.
The replacement EQ should be awesome if this is anything to go by.
e-Cell is nothing to do with extra range as mentioned - it gives an indication of what % of power is available for the motor - at low states of charge, or when very cold it drops below 100% (until the battery warms up). eg if the e-Cell shows 50% it means you can't draw more than 90bhp from the motor (since 180bhp is max output) - I guess it is to let you know why the car isn't going like a rocket with 10 miles of range left: a gradual decline towards turtle mode!
Regen: None-modest-strong with paddles. Also if you hold the paddle down for a second you get auto which uses the radar to slow down if it needs to.
Range is 80-95 in summer, 100-115 with range mode turned on (enables the battery to charge to 91% full rather than the standard 77%)
In winter, range is seriously impaired - 55-65 miles (70-80 with range mode) is typical: the liquid cooled battery (Tesla tech) and relatively inefficient (AC induction) but very powerful motor eat up kWh on cold days.
Flipside is the battery will probably last for ever as it is never filled to the brim and can't overheat.
Battery pack is 35.8kWh total, of which it usually uses 28kWh (32kWh with range mode)
Don't believe the brochure stats - 0-60mph in 7.9s is a complete lie - the fastest petrol B class could do it in 7.8s and MB didn't want to have the EV outstrip it - independent tests show it taking about the same time as i3 BEV to 60 (around 7s)
I bought mine in early 2017 when MB were about to pull the plug - the basic car could be had for under £20k.
cheers for the heads up
MrHairyTeabag adding good detail - I’d heard the rumour the pack was bigger than advertised, can I ask what is your source for this info?
Evening - plenty of sources out there such as insideevs.com/mercedes-benz-b-class-ed-battery-larger-expected-36-kwh/
If you haven't joined, I would strongly advise www.speakev.com - best forum there is for EV owners.
Looks perfect for the executive airport pick-up / drop-off market....if all airports have destination chargers.
This could have been such a great seller. Rapid charging and a few more made available, Oh well. Great video as always look forward to the next. Actually replacing our Soul EV with a Kona 64 EV next month, look forward to your review of one and the Niro when its out.
Isn’t there a 24week wait for deliveries?
ram64man September deliverys for those who ordered quickly on day 1 with the right model, colour and trim that was already on way on the boat. Which required some luck.
completely agree with your thought. The Kona is on our list
If only it had rapid charging is what we are all thinking. But still a fantastic car. Still like it from I had one for the day back in 2014. Great buy on the used market if you don’t do much long range daily mileage.
Thanks James & Kate 👍👍
Thanks buddy
Really nice to see you both on here again. An interesting car and very desirable as are most Mercs. It's a shame it was just a 'strategy' car rather than a regular production vehicle.
ah thank you. Also completely agree with your comments
I think it was deliberately just a test so they could get dealers experienced etc. Don’t forget if MB’s early investment in Tesla did not happen when it did, Tesla would not be here today, so we do need to thank MB for that! For our international viewers, my understanding is the BClass was only available electric in USA and the third party rapid charge retrofit developed for USA needs fresh development for UK/European version.
The Mercedes built Smart ED also has a power available gauge. It’s only useful when you are almost out of charge. It’s like the yellow dotted line on the Tesla S classic pre autopilot power gauge.
Got a new one of these coming up....
@@Jamesandkate I upgraded from the 2013 Smart ED to my new 2018 ED. It's better in many ways. Perfectly suitable for its commuter role as we have an S85 for family and trips.
Another fab video.
I *really* like the B. Wanted the ED, but the lack of rapid charging was a dealbreaker. It just makes the longer journeys too long.
We went back to Mercedes this summer when we were shopping to replace our 4x4 - but there’s no 4Matic option either. And the GLA is ridiculously small, the GLC nearly forty grand!
And that’s what Mercedes has always been to me: the outer ring of the bullseye, every time.
Fingers crossed that EQ lives up to the potential of the Benz brand. If it does, I’ll be making an order next year to replace our much-loved Leaf.
www.drivethedeal.com are the place to go for new Mercs (or carwow) - 7.5k minimum off a GLC.
Got my B through them from a dealer in the Midlands.
we've heard good things about the EQ, and with current competition, it needs to be good.
Nice car. 2016 there was one of these for sale in Maryland for around 20k USD. Same, no fast charging.
Just got mine to replace my 24kwh leaf. I already really like the car I have the premium art model but it dose not have all the features this one has. This must of had a lot of extras put on it.
Florence has certainly grown! From memory, when Robert Llewellyn tested the car, he suggested you could pick up a new one from around £23K, with some arm twisting. I said at the time that was cheaper than a B class diesel, and if it had come with rapid charging capability they would never have actually sold another diesel! A compliance car, but Tesla had better up their build quality, assuming Merc et al are really serious about the forthcoming crop of EVs.
Completely agree Peter, compliance, and no rapid was a massive mistake!!!
Hi James and Kate. Great review. Two questions. Could rapid charging not be added to this car by an aftermarket job. Also has the car got an app for checking battery static and pre heat the car?
Unfortunately the Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive has ceased production and will be superseded by the EQ version.
Looking forward to your review when its launched.
The cheapest I have seen is £14k for a 2015 model.
OMG Kate. The baby is sooo adorable. Please forgive me. This is my first time seeing her. Oh, and the car is nice too. The earlier B-Class was not as luxurious on the inside. I can't wait till you guys review the new EV coming out.
Ah thank you :-)
The second hand prices of these are shooting up now. Class cars
KIa Soul is a case in point (compliance car). A superb car with a superb build quality and an amazing warranty. And they never even bothered to advertise it. I owned the only Kia Soul EV in NI for 12 months. There Are now only 3 in 4.5 years of them being released. Even the newer 30kw cars are getting 130-140 miles range.
as you say - other than somewhat challenging looks, those in the know rate the Soul EV as the best of the "low range" EVs - under 20 grand from www.drivethedeal, or £1200 down and £200/mth from www.drive-electric.co.uk
Comes with all the bells and whistles including a satnav that can point out charge points, and a realistic range not far behind a LEAF 40.
I got my Daisy Wheels Painted black, which helped the looks a lot. :) Based on James race in the leaf 2, ioniq & Leaf 30kw. I would say the Soul 30kw would have given the Ioniq a run for its money. It would definitely have beaten the Leaf 2 with its already publicised issues. My 27kw has done 400 miles in a day with 5 rapids in a row in 27 deg temps. Hammering down the M/way at 70. All 4 rapids puled 120 amps every time (eqch charge taking 25-30 mins). Soul is fully loaded with auto dim rear view elctric heated and auto folding mirrors, heated seats and wheel, etc. A very underrated car.
buck-eejit thanks for sharing, if I need a longer range (ie rapid capable) EV id expect to get Soul or Ionic (also underrated, also poorly advertised and also not many made!)
Also this car has GPS adaptive Cruise control which alters regen when going down a hill.
Didn't know that, thanks
So, I didn't quite understand...is the range extender another battery or petrol/diesel?
How do you check for battery degradation on it?
Would you say, as car number 2 it would be perfect?
Hi guys I love the way you complement each other with commentaries! Nice review!! I’m wondering if b250 is good enough today: batteries are getting better, other options have appeared…(it’s 4-3 years ago when the review was made.. ). Last week I found an used b250-2018(22k€ and 8kmiles), Does it sound good to you?
Thank in advance for your comments!
If you put the car in Eco or Eco plus mode it will show how much less power is available vs Sport. Range extender lets you charge more of the battery, normally it is 78% but with range plus extender it lets you use 93% of the battery.
The charging is the problem for me with all the other options out there and coming just doesn’t fit with the way forward
Sorry, but Florence steals the show here for a heart-melting smile she gives you, Kate. Such a cutie! 😄😊
Keep it. Its a useful 2nd car.
So how fast was it ?
Great video as usual. A friend was in a Mercedes dealer, he said when he looked at the B Class they had there, the salesman grunted and said 'it is electric' and immediately pointed him to a diesel. Having said that the limited range and slow charging means it is only any good as a second car in my opinion and it is pretty expensive for that. Lovely in other ways but almost seems as if Mercedes compromised it on purpose to show customers that it wasn't as practical as an ICE car. I believe the B Class has quite a lot of Tesla parts in the battery and drivetrain. I also now know your musical guilty pleasures. What was the power consumption like?
Robert Smith I do around 18,000 mikes per year in my “second car” BClass. Yes it fits my use pattern and yes we use a stinky diesel if going abroad but don’t dismiss it too quickly. For many it can be the “first car” for 95% journeys then use an alternative for the exceptions (will save so much in running costs renting an ICE may be an option)
Pleased you are enjoying it. I just think that the lack of fast charging was something that seemed intentional because if it could charge faster it would fit a lot more use cases. I have a Zoe ZE40 and do less miles than you and have only used a public charger three times in 10000 miles. I do a fair number of 120-150 mile round trips in a day and it is perfect for that. If I had to do trips of 200 plus miles regularly the Zoe wouldn't suit me either. I agree that the 'fuel' savings compared with an ICE car are amazing.
I live in Scotland and cover around 10,000 miles per year.
These are entirely on public chargers (which are free to use).
Saves me about £500 a year, but more importantly if the chargers are seen to be used a lot, I expect they will be built more quickly.
@@MarkGarnettUK *"Stinky Diesel, my emissions on recent MOT Test were' **_To low to measure'_** B200 CDi AMG Line 2014'*
GrrMeister that great. Just don’t run your car in an enclosed space for too long, those “clean” emissions will kill a human pretty quickly. But I try not to persuade people on the emissions angle; in most cases an EV will be the best, fastest, most fun car you can get, and cheaper to operate, and no more expensive overall, so you can consider this “new” technology rather than continue with 100 year old “suck, squeeze, bang” technology that needs servicing and so many auxiliary systems to keep it going. Please try an EV if you get the chance, any EV (Nissan are often very generous even if you have no intention to buy)
Nice car. What is the battery size and real world range please?
I see quite a few for sale through Mercedes dealers for less than £20k. A bit of a bargain methinks.
MIchael Goode yep I concur they advertise at around £20k but I think you could offer slightly less and expect a sale. Servicing is £82 per year (cabin air filter and inspections). Battery service is free (bag of crystals per year). Mine may be for sale by mid 2019 if anyone reading these comments by then. It needs to go to a good home for all the reasons James and Kate identified!
35.8kWh pack (gross) - liquid cooling as it is a Tesla unit - normally uses 28kWh and up to around 32-33kWh if range mode in used when charging.
Real range as I mention above is 80-95 summer (100-115 with range mode). Fast motorway (80mph+) is significantly worse, and you can expect to only manage 2/3 of this range in winter as it uses a couple of kWh just to warm up the battery.
Prices are currently very strong despite the lack of DC charging - £15k for a 3yr old car, £20k for 1yr old is typical
It’s a real shame Mercedes did not include a rapid charging option with this car as the quality of the build is excellent.
Going to be a real Messerschmidt here 😉, 7:00 the gear selector Tesla buys from Mercedes-Benz for Model S and X so it's the same for that reason.
larshelmin I’m pretty sure there are quite a few Mercedes parts on the original Tesla’s, including the indicator & window wiper stalks.
Actually, we nearly removed this as you're quite correct, Mercedes equipment, borrowed by Tesla
On the other hand the electric motor and battery pack comes from Tesla :)
What is the size of the battery in this?
35.8kWh gross - 28kWh is usable, or up to around 32kWh if you charge while using "range" mode.
Sounds great but it is not an efficient car compared to some (ie. Hyundai Ioniq) - in the middle of summer taking it easy I get around 4-4.5 miles per kWh (3 at fast motorway speeds) - Ioniq is around 30-50% more efficient (though slower)
In winter it is lucky to manage 2/3 of summer range.
Only downside is no rapid charge - otherwise great car.
The interior with all the buttons in the middle really looks very old now for sure. And when the rear middle armrest is down you really notice that there aren’t any cup holders. But I think it’s cool to keep talking about these cars because they can still work perfectly well for a ton of people as a second car or for someone who drives a predictable schedule of short journeys.
Chris Till the armrest slides back to reveal 2 cup holders (and you can still get your arm on the rest)
The buttons are a bugger at night - they don't light up so putting on the AC, changing driving mode, or demister needs you to use The Force
MrHairyTeabag That just leaves those buttons then as you say. Crazy to not have them lit up.
Hi Chris, there are two cupholder that protrude from the end of the armrest, but the lack of RC is a biggy
You must have something wrong in the lighting. My model does light up in the dark and the central screen projects whatever adjustments you have just made. Don't know why it wouldn't work for you.
Thanks James and Kate. Did you say that it's a compliance car? If so, then I would never buy one. The reason is that, if they don't want to sell it, then they will not want to support you if, and when, something goes wrong.
Incidentally, how comfortable is the seat, Kate? Ruth didn't manage to find a comfortable seat position in two days of driving the Tesla. Not a criticism; two days isn't really long enough to iron out all of the wrinkles! :-)
I hope that your neck recovers quickly. It can be incredibly painful, especially when spasm sets in.
Because this has a Tesla battery and drive train I was interested in whether the Tesla Chadmo adapter would work with this car.. I asked Tesla and Mec and got no reply. Who will do a test?
Tesla Chademo converts Chademo DC into Tesla DC (similar to supercharging).
B250e/Electric Drive has no DC connectors, just 3x3.6kW AC pins, so it won't work.
The Merc has a type 2 socket, so the best you can manage is 11kW from an 11/22kW charger, or from the AC line of a rapid (best not wander off locking the rapid for 3 hours while you charge though!)
I can save you the time, it won't work, at all. Tesla use DC through the type 2 as well as AC for destination charging, the Merc doesn't have this.
Agreed, same plug but only AC electronics, all rapid charging needs DC.
BTW, you CAN use a Tesla Destination Charger (NOT the SuperCharger) at 11kWs if you have the 3rd party adapter. In case you didn't know.. :)
I've had mixed results; not sure if *all* destination charges work for non-Tesla's, some do for sure, but not all in my experience. I even heard they can be configured for Tesla only or open, but no way of telling. Can anyone provide a more precise answer?
*Just you wait until I predict 2020 when **_Mercedes_** will introduce the **_Mother of all EV's_** I was at Dortmund Launch in 2016 and had a very privileged view of the Future and believe me it doesn't get better than this. Clue look at latest B Class (2019) Specs and Dream on.*
These compliance cars must have been massively loss-making. I guess manufacturers have so much money tied up in diesels that they want to squeeze every last penny from them before reluctantly moving to electric.
We considered this car (albeit briefly) but lumped for a 24kw leaf which we're really happy with.
An obvious oversight not having a rapid on board, wonder if there's any way to get one fitted after market?
Nicholas Wintle there is a company in USA who have retrofitted fast charging to the USA version (and to the Toyota RAV4 EV which has the same tech and sane limitation) but we exchanged details to discover the UK/European version is different so he’d need to “borrow” a car for a month or so (shipped over there), to develop a new solution. Would be possible if enough owners were interested.
No rapid means the battery will last longer.
Did you mention how many miles to a charge? Sorry if you did
Yes, at the start, around 105 - 110 to a charge
@@Jamesandkate Thanks! Not bad, not bad at all. Not for a car that size. But for a car like that, I agree you may want to do longer trips. Even going Alton Towers would be out of the range of this car
I’ve never got that far in mine (even hyper mileing in warm weather) but many American owners report similar. I’ve only gone down to an indicated 1 mile remaining (191 driven) so may be it would keep going. BTW I find the GoM is always pessimistic/ meaning I can always get at least the range it says, easily more if needed (once you “know” how it works this is very reassuring if needing to stretch range).
I've managed 110 from mine driving fairly easily (60mph on M'ways and refraining from using the powweerrrr) - that's using range mode and had 5 or 6 miles left.
Driven like a regular car, doing 70-75mph on motorways, you'll get 80-90 miles in the summer, 60ish in winter.
If you limit yourself to 50mph I expect 120 very boring miles could be managed.
So, how come Mercedes didn't update this car and give it a larger battery and update the BMS and the interior quick charging ability?
It was just unfortunately a "Compliance" car Anti as Mercedes wanted 1 Electric powered car in the range - We drove one 2 years ago and nearly bought one but just couldnt because of the nagging worry re charging and ended up with a Renault Zoe 22kw Q210 with 43kw quickcharging. Range was more important to us than quality and refinement.
They had ended their relationship with Tesla, and have been developing their own EVs.. expected 2019 I believe under the "EQ" sub-branding.
MrHairyTeabag yep apparently MB sold all their Tesla shares the day they launched the BClass. Thankfully they did invest (to get the tech for the BClass) because Musk confirms it was their timely investment that kept Tesla afloat in the early days. Apparently some used to refer to it as the “3rd best Tesla” but obviously that has slipped to 4th and now 5th (behind Roadster, S, X and 3)!
Careful with the music and copyright. Great review though. 👍👍
Yes, we realised, after checking it too it was still pinged
James and Kate I knew you'd be onto it. 👍👍
Florence is looking so cute.
thank you
Wow that’s super rare on U.K. roads
first one i've driven
James looks like Nathan Drake from the Uncharted gaming series! 😆
Good looking guy that Nathan :-)
It's a true shame about the lack of rapid charging
completely agree
Unfortunately my B250 electric ( 2015, 88000 km) has started to make whining sounds while accellerating. The trouble happens to be bad bearings used in the Tesla motor. Since there is no way you can replace these bearings , I have to replace the whole motor at an expence of 7500 euros. Bad luck sais Mercedes . No compensation whatsoever. On the internet I found several reviews ( in the USA) which refer to the same problem with similar high costs. So this is a nice but very expensive car. Let this be a warning .
If I remember correctly, Tesla and Mercedes worked together on that car in return for a financial investment.
The Mercedes app is rubbish. They stopped supporting the remote access earlier this year. I’m unhappy that my new Smart ED app isn’t released yet. Sad.
yes we were aware, so left it out as a real negative
Good point. The app usually works for me and does include remote unlock/lock pre conditioning (heat or cool depending on ambient temperature) but it’s certain if not the best; a payable option from year 4 onwards. There is a third party Apple Watch app that shows percentage charge . The satnav is funny because it points out all the fossil juice locations (petrol garages) rather than EV charge points! The flappy paddles (for changing between the regen modes) work really well but the default auto mode (starts regen if it can see you will need to slow) is really well engineered.
I have the car set to turn the heating/AC on when the doors are unlocked (I don't charge at home so no preconditioning on charger).
In winter I unlock the car from my kitchen window, then lock it again - this means the heating has warmed the car up by the time I'm leaving for work.
But it doesn’t have rapid charging , that’s a major weakness , if pigs could fly
Apparently you can have CHAdeMO retrofitted.
EVPaddy it's still pie in the sky - and is likely to only work in the US. If it can be made to work it will cost around 3 grand to import plus fitting. And your 8yr battery warranty is likely to be smoked.
Also the Jdemo (retrofit Chademo) will need the bonnet lifted to access the plug which looks like a pita :-)
Well, CHAdeMO should be CHAdeMO, shouldn't it? Anyways, we just ordered a Kona today, so I'm not really interested in the B Class. ;)
www.speakev.com/threads/mercedes-b-class-jdemo-charging.67105/
Tony Williams' company makes aftermarket kits for Tesla Roadsters and other heritage EVs.
Kona EV looks a super car - small boot and rear seats mean it's not for everyone - KIA's Niro is due in 4-5 months with the same running gear and a bigger body (though likely to be a grand or two more)
Wow you reviewed my car. (Mine is blue) glad you liked it. Yours had more options but your comments are fair. Well done for finding the brake hold which I didn’t discover for a couple of months! The lightest regen mode is zero regen I fact more of a glide /freewheel which is really useful at times. Reason for no rapid is Tesla not wanting to harm early model S sales (1/3 of the price). E cell meter is mainly to use the spare meter. What it shows is battery health, so if unhealthy or more likely low state of charge, it shows you will have less power available when you floor it. Nice to have advance warning rather than only discover when you need the power. Below 12 miles range remaining it warns and provides reduced power (not a turtle mode, just less acceleration). You didn’t really mention the Tesla battery and motor which was a big advantage for me (ie I trust it to last). Thanks for reviewing it! Any questions for s long term owner, just ask!
I think I would take the BMW i3 Rex over this car for the same money
i3 felt quicker and being rear wheel drive sticks to the road (BClass will wheel spin if not careful). I thought the i3 regen was stronger (which I prefer) but could not be disabled (I really like “glide” mode on BClass). Check the i3 rear passenger space, boot space, inability to get rear passengers out of the suicide doors in a normal parking space and you have to like the unconventional styling (it’s a Marmite thing for some). Of course CHadiMo (with or without range extender) means i3 can go on lots of longer journeys conveniently.
i3 uses CCS which in the UK is a less reliable charger (especially with Electric Highway)
Performance is similar but the Merc would have been better as RWD as Mark notes: it does like to spin the tyres from low speeds (or even if you mash the throttle at 30mph up a wet road).
At motorway speeds the Merc gets the last laugh: it's limited to 100mph so can always beat the 93mph BMW to the next charge point ;-)
Beautiful Baby :)
Lease returns of this car in California. are selling for $16k - 20k.... However for the money i can get 2 Fiat 500e and have 2 FUN cars with the same charging speed and range...
spacegreycoralred but sadly they are Fiat and made of cheese 🧀
Would still have a Fiat 500e though if they were available in the U.K. for under £10k
Merc electrics are iffy longterm. The command centre is a particular bugbear. Unreliable would be a gross understatement; easy but fiddly to diagnose... really expensive to repair.
spacegreycoralred oh, tempting to start importing the FIATs then, pretty sure we don’t get the 500e in UK!
This car highlights everything wrong with the established auto industry and why you shouldn’t buy this car. It is a wonderfully finished EV with a critical charging oversight to try and make EV’s undesirable. It’s why you own a Tesla... to drag these other dinosaurs into the present.
I agree, and thankfully, it's working.
I agree with the sentiment but it’s taking a while for the model 3 to arrive in UK. Driving mine to fill the gap as I didn’t fancy the quality and quirky design of the alternatives!
My previous car covered 27k miles in 3 years - never did more than 80 miles in a day.
Scotland also have lots of 22kW chargers which mean I get 11kW pretty much whenever I'm charging.
Super car but absolutely needs to fit your use pattern and too slow to charge to use as a country-crosser.
Sorry to hear your in pain with your neck Kate. A pain in the neck so to speak.
An osteopath should be to sort that out for you.
Or cause a stroke. It'll get better itself ;-)
Inside looks like a bl car from the 70s with modern screen , outside like another people carrier with a merc badge , charging- home charging speeds and a bit . Old Tesla tech under the merc exterior , just another pointless ev , love real leather , fake just for vegans who feel we eat grass , regen changing with panels , another pointless gadget , price ?, styling ? Outside and inside , all merc have , not much really , old fashioned luxurious good description , high floor nice
Nigel Weir can I say that’s a bit harsh? I would say no EV is pointless, any EV is a step in the right direction and even now (this was launched in 2015), the choice of alternatives is small and availability is constrained. Sure it suits a narrower range of use cases but I am doing 18k per year in mine (and saving over £3000 per year on fuel, tax and servicing verses my previous 8 year old 45mpg diesel)
Too long and lacking real specs