Mercedes-Benz to manufacture its own EV powertrains from 2024: Report

Mercedes-Benz is serious about its electrification goals and hence it is now aiming to produce its own next-generation powertrains for electric vehicles from 2024, reported Automotive News. The report said that the luxury automaker’s upcoming MMA and MB.EA electric architectures will be designed in-house and that the company will also develop powertrains on its own.

Head of Development at Daimler, Markus Schaefer said that until now powertrains for the company’s electric vehicles have come from external partners. “We want to control the overall system of electric motor, battery, and power electronics as much as possible, similar to what is the case with the combustion engine," Schaefer was quoted saying in the report.

Mercedes is also planning to build inverters for its future electric vehicles, however, Schaefer mentioned that this has not been decided yet. Currently, the luxury automaker depends on suppliers such as ZF for the powertrain modules of the EQC and Valeo-Siemens for the electric motors of the EQS. Schaefer informed since the brand is aiming to make half of its product line-up either electric or plug-in hybrids by 2025, it will focus on expanding its global capacity for electric powertrains.

Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled what it called the most efficient Mercedes ever built, the Vision EQXX electric vehicle. It was a much-awaited model from the brand that claims to provide a range of more than 1,000 km in a single charge to the user. The company has said that most owners will need to charge the electric car once or twice a month.

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The EV comes with a battery that weighs 495 kg. Joerg Bartels, Director of Vehicle Integration at Mercedes-Benz AG said, “Finding high electricity sounds like easy, but it is technically difficult. The simplest method is to use a larger battery. However, because of its size and weight, this makes it easy to do well. It is not the smartest way to go, nor is it the misuse of valuables. With the Vision EQXX project, we have found new ways to increase the volume of the electric car. And we are upgrading our skills to a very good level."