The first volume production electric car by Mercedes-Benz – the B-Class Electric Drive – is now available to order starting at £26,950 (including the £5,000 government grant).
Split into two model lines – Sport and Electric Art – the B-Class Electric Drive is capable of travelling up to 142 miles on a single charge and can accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds. Yet, it retains all the versatility of the B-Class on which it’s based, including the ability to carry five adults and a 501-litre boot – rising to 1,456-litres if you fold the seats down.
Thanks to Tesla-developed technology, the B-Class Electric Drive is the fastest accelerating five-seat electric car in its class as well as the most powerful; it also has the greatest theoretical range on a single charge.
Prices for the B-Class Electric Drive start at £31,950 for the Sport model. Subject to approval, an OLEV grant (£5,000) can be applied, bringing the on-the-road price to £26,950. The Electric Art is priced at £32,245 – reduced to £27,245 should the OLEV grant be applied.
Charging via a wall box or public charging station is made easier through a fast charging cable supplied with the car, which takes between three and four hours and brings the battery from a completely empty state to fully charged. If using a slow charger this process will take up to 9 hours.
The Mercedes B-Class Electric comes with an optional Energy Assist Package (£945). The package features adaptive energy recuperation systems to sense – via the forward facing radar – road conditions.
When traffic is identified, increased recuperation is employed to make the most of any deceleration. Likewise, it can use signals from the COMAND system (when specified) to read the topography of the road ahead and adapt accordingly.
The Energy Assist package offers the addition of a ‘Range Plus’ button for occasional use, adding extra range to the battery capacity than would normally be feasible.
Mercedes-Benz
