Mercedes will introduce CLA small electric cars with 30-35% greater driving range

According to Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kaellenius, the company's newest

electric vehicle

In an interview, the CEO said that "Mercedes will additionally feature a lithium-iron-phosphate, in the new CLA family due to hit showrooms in 2025, a first for any Mercedes EV." Mercedes might provide a more affordable vehicle in a market where Tesla presently reigns supreme by using an LFP battery pack. Chinese EV brands that employ LFP batteries will compete with the new CLA in China.

On September 3, a prototype of Mercedes' next electric CLA will be presented at the IAA in Munich, Germany. The CLA prototype serves as a concrete example of Mercedes' approach to catching up to Tesla and other emerging EV producers technologically.

"Getting more driving range while using less battery energy is the primary objective for the German automaker's future EV development," Kaellenius stated. "When it comes to electric vehicles, efficiency is actually the new money," he added.

According to Kaellenius, "the new CLA is targeting power use of 12 kWh per 100 kilometres, and 750 km of driving range." In contrast, the EQA 350 small SUV type Mercedes sells now uses 17 to 18 kWh per 100 km.

A Tesla Model 3 today has a 13.1 kWh per 100 km rating.

According to Kaellenius, the future CLA should be the electric equivalent of a vehicle that uses one litre of gasoline for every 100 kilometres of travel. For many years, European automakers have had aspirations of creating the so-called one-litre automobile. With a diesel-electric drivetrain, Volkswagen's XL1 automobile met this standard. There were just 200 sold by VW.

In the EV market, the operating range continues to be a crucial competitive benchmark. The distance between charging sites for EVs may be easily compared by consumers.

The main challenge for manufacturers is to provide cars with a larger driving range while using a smaller, less expensive battery pack. Since Tesla and other EV companies have started a pricing battle to maintain sales growth in China, the United States Europe lowering battery prices is essential.

When discussing an electric car's efficiency, Kaellenius said that the entire system is optimised. The high-powered Nvidia chips that will be used to control driving assistance, big infotainment screens, and other systems in the CLA and future EVs provide an extra hurdle for Mercedes, according to the author.

Mercedes engineers have been utilising long road journeys in a prototype car dubbed the Vision EQXX to evaluate ways to increase EV efficiency. According to Mercedes, that car has reduced power usage to 8.3 kWh per 100 km.

"We offered the engineers no limits," Kaellenius remarked in reference to the Vision EQXX.

Limits on the manufacturing of CLA will be imposed by consumers and the prices that competitors are asking in an EV market that is becoming more competitive.