Mercedes-Benz Offers "Range " For B-Class EV

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Mercedes-Benz is offering a range extender option for the new all-electric B-Class, but it’s not what the name suggests.

The Mercedes-Benz “temporary range extender” is

“A suite of options to further increase your driving range includes added insulation of the doors and roof for to increase climate-control efficiency, along with an electrically heated windshield and a range-extending charge function. By pressing a button on the console prior to charging, the maximum charge level for battery will increased for the next charge cycle. The higher-capacity charge can provide up to 17 additional miles of range…Electric heating of the windshield glass offers quick defogging of the windshield, even on very cold or humid days. Its energy-efficient operation also helps to extend your driving range compared to using the climate control to clear the windshield.”

While the option package is a novel way to maximize available battery capacity, it’s a bit of a misnomer, given that “range extender” is usually given to mean an on-board internal combustion engine that helps increase the driving range of an electric vehicle.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Shaker Shaker on Jun 25, 2014

    Glad to see MB on board. I still wish that they would perfect an ethanol-fueled cabin heater. Maybe with a "tap" under the dash, to occasionally drain out... accumulated water. Yeah, that's the ticket.

  • Stumpaster Stumpaster on Jun 25, 2014

    My lord it is ugly. Who is designing these things?!

  • Redliner Redliner on Jun 25, 2014

    This is typical MB. Charge extra for what is essentially a software change, and a button on the dash. This coming from the company that charges extra for keyless start, an optuon that is standard on mid-level family sedans.

  • LeMansteve LeMansteve on Jun 25, 2014

    Reading the fine print on MBUSA.com, excessive use of the range extending feature will shorten the life of the battery. I don't know much about electric car battery design, but this leads me to believe they are deliberately designed to NOT charge to 100% every single time in the name of battery life. This feature is a software modification to allow an "overcharge" beyond the design targets. I have always heard that the life of Li-ion batteries is maximized when their charge is regularly maintained between something like 30-90% charge.

    • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Jun 29, 2014

      All true. My Leaf normally charges to 80%, but EV ranges are always stated to 100% charge. MB is just gaming numbers. If I fill the Leaf to 100%, I'll get about 22 more miles (stated), or about 15 more miles (actual). Interestingly, a recent study found that high fill RATES did not adversely affect battery capacity in the long run.

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