EVs are technically superior to e-fuel combustion cars, says Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz believes that pure electric vehicles are technically superior to e-fuel-compliant internal combustion engine-powered cars. The German luxury car brand's comment comes at a time when the European Union has proposed allowing internal combustion engine-powered cars to sell and ply across the continent after 2035 only if they comply with e-fuel. Automotive News reports that Mercedes-Benz has further said that it would still favour pure EVs over vehicles with combustion engines.

The luxury car brand claims to have said it will focus on electric vehicles as it finds them technically superior to combustion engines, even if they work on e-fuels. Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kalleniues has said that the electric powertrain is still a young technology compared to the combustion engine. "We still see great potential for progress: the electric drive will overtake the internal combustion engine in terms of performance before the end of this decade," he added.

Mercedes-Benz's CEO also indicated that even though the company will continue to sell combustion engine-powered cars in the future, it will increasingly focus on developing more efficient and greener electric vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz boss also said it would develop electric vehicle architectures and adapt them to accommodate internal combustion engines when the case makes a business case, as the brand aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2039.

The report further said that the luxury automaker intends to keep making internal combustion engines more efficient and meet new stringent Euro 7 emission norms. However, around the middle of this decade, the company will reduce investments in internal combustion engines by as much as 80 per cent compared to today. China would likely remain the last major market for ICE vehicles, but they would be sold only as plug-in hybrids.