Photo: Daimler AG
Even after getting a second generation, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class is still an unknown model in the US, but this situation is about to change in 2014, when an entirely new and unconventional version of the compact MPV will hit American dealerships before Europe.
With a powertrain sourced from Tesla Motors, the B-Class Electric Drive will be the first production electric vehicle from the Stuttgart car brand.
Using electric current from a lithium-ion battery that gives it a total driving range of about 200 km (124 miles) after European NEDC rules and around 115 miles in US driving, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class will be quite a fearsome competitor on the ever-increasing American EV market.
Taking into account the Mercedes-Benz brand cachet, its regenerative braking system, the fact that it has a very space efficient interior and a 177 hp and 340 Nm (251 lb ft) of torque electric motor, the model is already seen as a BMW i3 killer by some.
The folks from Popular Mechanics got the chance to drive a pre-production B-Class Electric Drive on a 30-minute loop somewhere near Los Angeles and were pretty impressed with it.
Using electric current from a lithium-ion battery that gives it a total driving range of about 200 km (124 miles) after European NEDC rules and around 115 miles in US driving, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class will be quite a fearsome competitor on the ever-increasing American EV market.
Taking into account the Mercedes-Benz brand cachet, its regenerative braking system, the fact that it has a very space efficient interior and a 177 hp and 340 Nm (251 lb ft) of torque electric motor, the model is already seen as a BMW i3 killer by some.
The folks from Popular Mechanics got the chance to drive a pre-production B-Class Electric Drive on a 30-minute loop somewhere near Los Angeles and were pretty impressed with it.
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