Diamler AG announced plans to spend $1 billion producing Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles in Alabama – pitting the world’s largest luxury-car company against Tesla, Inc. ($TSLA), whose flagship Model S sedan outsold both the Mercedes S-Class BMW 7-series last year in the U.S.
The announcement comes on the heels of a 10 billion Euro commitment to green cars – unveiling an electric hatchback SUV at this month’s Frankfurt auto show.
The German automaker also plans to build its fifth global battery plant at the Alabama site slated for the assembly of electric SUVs, creating over 600 jobs while directly competing with Tesla’s Model X.
“We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary at our production facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and we’re taking this as an opportunity to expand the operation and further fuel growth,” production chief Markus Schaefer said in a Bloomberg TV interview. “We’re very confident for future growth in the U.S. in the long-term. ”
Diamler gearing up for a surge in electric
Diamler’s $1 billion investment is the latest evidence of the carmaker’s global shift towards electric vehicles.
The German luxury-car maker has announced deposits on its upcoming SUV in Norway, likely to bear the “EQC” badge, after the Northern European nation instituted a ban on fossil-fuel powered cars by 2025. Customers can plunk down a refundable $2,560 down payment towards the vehicle, set for delivery sometime in 2019.
The EQC is expected to have a range between 250 and 310 miles, and will be powered by two electric motors producing 405 horsepower through an all-wheel drivetrain.
Battery packs on the EQC is expected to have a capacity of more than 70 killowatt-hours, and have fast-charging capabilities providing 62 miles of range in just 5 minutes.
Self driving electric someday?
In March, San Francisco residents glimpsed the future, as a Mercedes-Benz driverless concept car – the F015 Luxury in Motion, was spotted driving around town.
Some kind of @MercedesBenz concept car promo at Taylor and Columbus in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/6gFYvxoVNx
— Marty Falatic (@MartyMacGyver) March 5, 2015
Once Mercedes figures out how to make these self-driving electric vehicles fly, it’s basically the Jetsons.
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commitment to green cars my ass….what about the coal powered power plants to generate electricity to recharge it? the carbon foot print of el. cars is often larger than gasoline cars
https://tinyurl.com/p5stsdx