Mercedes-Benz takes on Tesla at CES

Mercedes-Benz takes on Tesla at CES: German carmaker reveals plans for a $1.05 BILLION electric vehicle charging network of 400 stations in North America by 2027

  • Mercedes-Benz announced plans at CES to build 400 charging stations  throughout North America
  •  The first network will include 400 charging stations with more than 2,500 high-power plugs are expected to be completed by 2027
  • Mercedes-Benz is spending $1.05 billion on the North American project
  • The German carmaker will then build stations in Europe and China 

Mercedes-Benz is developing a worldwide electric vehicle charger to take on Tesla.

The German luxury automaker announced the new project at the Consumer Electronics Show, revealing it is spending $1.05 billion to construct a network in North America before expanding to other parts of the globe.

The first network will include 400 charging stations with more than 2,500 high-power plugs are expected to be completed by 2027. 

While Tesla has at least 40,000 Superchargers globally, these technologies are only compatible with its branded vehicles – all electric car brands can use Mercedes models.

A ChargePoint electric vehicle charging hub, center, is on display at the Mercedes-Benz booth during the CES tech show Thursday. This innovation will be used to build the company’s North American network

Following the North American network completion, Mercedes plans to start construction in Europe and China. 

Depending on market conditions, the entire network will be completed by the end of the decade when the company intends to sell all-electric vehicles. 

The complete network will have more than 2,000 charging stations and over 10,000 plugs worldwide, Ola Källenius, chairman of Mercedes-Benz’s management board, told reporters.

Even though the Mercedes-branded network will be open to owners of all electric vehicles, Mercedes owners will be able to reserve charging ports and get preference over other makes.

The first network will include 400 charging stations with more than 2,500 high-power plugs are expected to be completed by 2027

The move will help the company compete with Tesla, which offers its charging stations exclusively to Tesla owners, although CEO Elon Musk has said there are plans to open it to other brands. 

The network gives Tesla a competitive advantage over other EV brands, which rely on a patchwork of networks of privately owned charging stations.

Each Mercedes station will have four to 12 ports with up to 350 kilowatts of charging power. 

Mercedes will share the cost of the North American network equally with MN8 Energy, a large solar energy and battery storage operator in the US EV charging network provider ChargePoint also is a partner.

The network will address customer concerns about not having enough range to get to their destination, and finding a working charging station, said Markus Schäfer, Mercedes’ chief technology officer.

While other charging networks are being developed, ‘We thought we had to go further and take the initiative here and create our branded global Mercedes-Benz network,’ Schäfer said.

The charging hubs will be built in key cities and population centers near major roads and retail businesses and restaurants. 

Some will be at participating Mercedes dealerships, the company said. ‘We know where our customers are in North America, we know where we´re selling electric vehicles,’ Schäfer said.

The stations will be in safe, well-lighted locations, Schäfer said, ‘not in the backyard somewhere of a shopping center next to a dumpster.’

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