Mercedes-Benz has agreed a strategic partnership with the Chinese battery cell manufacturer Farasis Energy and is also taking a financial stake in the Ganzhou-based company. Farasis’ already planned plant in Bitterfeld-Wolfen will then primarily supply the German Mercedes plants.

Mercedes-Benz has presented the articulated version of its electric city bus as eCitaro G and says deliveries will begin before the end of this year. The manufacturer also announces the first battery update – for both solo and articulated models.

The Mercedes Benz electric car charging service in the UK is now hooked up with BP Chargemaster’s Polar network. This gives British customers access to the network on a single subscription. BP Chargemaster will also install private and business charging points for Mercedes customers.

Daimler has taken an organisational step towards a commercial vehicle fuel cell joint venture with Volvo Trucks: In the newly founded Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG, all of the Group’s fuel cell activities will now be bundled together.

eAfter Mercedes-Benz started selling the model upgrades for the E-Class, including the plug-in hybrid versions, sales of three more PHEVs are now starting: the CLA 250 e Coupé, the CLA 250 e Shooting Brake and the B 250 e.

Electric trucks are becoming a reality as two real-life trials progress in the UK and Germany. At Infineon’s Regensburg site, a purely electric truck now made it into regular operation after two weeks of successful testing. Daimler has also delivered another Fuso eCanter in London – for a special purpose.

Mercedes-Benz has started selling the model update of the E-Class as a sedan and as a station wagon. The new lineup also includes plug-in hybrid variants, of which there will be seven in the new E-Class.

Daimler is building its battery production capacity globally. Daimler subsidiary Accumotive has increased its production volume and will soon be able to produce more than 500,000 battery systems per year. The plant is also preparing for future electric EQ models in the compact segment.

An update was published on the progress of the German ‘AutoStack Industrie’ project launched in 2017. The project will run until the end of 2021, involving five OEMs and various suppliers working together to bring key technologies for the production of stacks for fuel cell vehicles to industrial maturity.

Mercedes has now opened the order books for the EQV. The premium electric van is initially available in the long-wheelbase version. The price in Germany currently starts at 71,388.10 euros.

Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group intend to establish a joint venture to develop and build fuel cells for heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Although the letter of intent just signed is non-binding, a final agreement is expected to be concluded by the end of the year.

Mercedes offers its particularly powerful models, for example with specially developed V8 and V-12 engines under the AMG subsidiary. According to media reports, an electric Mercedes from AMG will soon be available.

A coalition of European car lobby groups made up of manufacturers, suppliers, tyre manufacturers and dealers has written to the EU Commission requesting a relaxation of the schedule for vehicle CO2 targets against the background of the Corona crisis. At the same time, German manufacturers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW emphasised that they want to retain […]

The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC) announces the intention to start series production of fuel cell trucks “by the end of the 2020s”. The Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer, which belongs to the Daimler Group, is also presenting the concept of the eCanter F-CELL.

Alleged software problems with the VW ID.3 development have been treading the rumour mill recently. Now a spokesperson officially confirmed the issues, while insider information reflects a more dire reality.

Mercedes-Benz subjected the EQV to an endurance test in Arjeplog, Sweden. The electric V-Class proved its operational capability under extreme conditions at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius, icy roads and deep snow.

First carmakers announce closures of factories in Europe due to the Coronavirus crisis unfolding on the continent. PSA will lockdown all vehicle production plants in Europe by 27 March and the French carmaker is not the only one.

Mercedes has introduced the revised version of the eVito Tourer (as well as the combustion engine versions). The electric version now has a much bigger battery, more power and finally: DC fast-charging capacity.

Car-sharing in Europe is going electric as city regulators increasingly inhibit polluting vehicles and an ever-increasing range of electric car models becomes available. We analyse the industry developments.

Mercedes is now going to introduce the PHEV drive system already brought to the A- and B-Class to the other compact models. The CLA 250 e (as Coupé and Shooting Brake), and the GLA 250 e, should be available for order from spring onwards. In the future, the E-Class will be available in seven PHEV […]

Mercedes-Benz has started production of the plug-in hybrid versions of the A-Class at its compact car plant in Rastatt. However, Mercedes does not specify when the vehicles will be delivered to customers.

The E-Mobility Group from Daimler Trucks & Buses is launching a worldwide initiative to establish a charging infrastructure for battery-electric trucks. The focus of the “eTruck Charging Initiative” will initially be on charging stations installed at the depots of truck customers.

The Mercedes plant in Bremen in northern Germany has been awarded the contract to build a new electric model – which one is unknown as of yet. The EQC will continue production at the plant.

The Swiss energy group Alpiq and Mercedes-Benz Energy have concluded a supply agreement for the stationary use of batteries from electric vehicles. The storage unit has a capacity of 1.5 MW and a gross capacity of 1.4 MWh, which is also possible to scale up.

In Berlin, a seemingly unlikely coalition is blocking two electric vehicle projects. The trade union Verdi refuses the purchase of 90 new electric buses by transit operator BVG. On top, the Senate could stop BVG’s and ViaVan’s ridesharing offer BerlKönig as early as April.

According to a report, Daimler is said to have significantly reduced the sales targets of the Mercedes EQC for 2020 – mainly because of battery scarcity. The company denied this and maintains they are sticking to the original plans.

Mercedes-Benz has opened an expanded development and test centre at its truck plant in the German town of Wörth after a year and a half of construction. This is where solutions for connected, autonomous and electric driving for trucks will be developed and tested.

BMW and Daimler’s ride-hailing operator Free Now (formerly MyTaxi) is expanding its ride-hailing fleet in Hamburg with an initial 60 Tesla vehicles. The ride-sharing service wants to boost its expansion into other cities in Germany.

The China joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely around Smart announced at the end of March last year has now been formally established with all relevant final approvals from Chinese authorities. The first electric Smart cars made in China are to be launched on the market in 2022.

The Daimler subsidiary was selected as the supplier for the 50 fully electric school buses of the initial phase of Dominion Energy’s electric school bus replacement program in Virginia. This will be the largest deployment of electric school buses in the USA yet.