Mercedes-Benz announces electrification plan, EV and battery rollout, end of internal combustion vehicles

Mercedes-Benz has announced an end to its internal combustion-engined product offerings, moving towards a range of electric-only vehicles by 2030. The caveat provided by the company is that zero-emissions vehicles will prevail “where market conditions allow”, presumably giving the automaker a guilt-free emissions pass in markets where charging infrastructure and EV uptake is yet to develop.

Mercedes-Benz will cease the development and release of internal combustion vehicle architectures from 2025, and will launch three electric-only platforms in the same year. According to the company, customers will be able to choose an all-electric alternative for every model in the Mercedes-Benz range, and that “Mercedes-Benz intends to manage this accelerated transformation while sticking to its profitability targets.”

Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG said in a media statement that "The EV shift is picking up speed - especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz belongs. The tipping point is getting closer and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade," "This step marks a profound reallocation of capital. By managing this faster transformation while safeguarding our profitability targets, we will ensure the enduring success of Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to our highly qualified and motivated workforce, I am convinced that we will be successful in this exciting new era."

Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG with the Mercedes-Benz EQ range.

Mercedes-Benz’s Future Product Line-Up

Let’s look at the above image and get a sense of where the brand is heading this decade. We’re already familiar with the upcoming EQS luxo-barge next to Ola Källenius, and pictured to its right is the soon-to-be-revealed EQE sedan. Both vehicles are based on Mercedes-Benz’s Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA) modular platform. Behind them, from left to right, we have the GLB crossover, and the currently on sale EQC and EQA crossovers. In the third row, a mysterious crossover —likely the EQS SUV— sits just ahead of the EQV.

Mercedes-Benz revealed its subbrands including AMG, Maybach and G-Class —made infamous in the 2010s as a symbol of gas-guzzling excess— will go electric. The EQS SUV will be the first vehicle in the lineup to receive the Maybach work-over, as teased in this image below.

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The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV Maybach. Image: Mercedes-Benz

All subbrands to go electric. Images: Mercedes-Benz.

Brand new electric platforms from 2025

Three electric-only architectures will be launched in 2025:

• MB.EA will cover all medium to large size passenger cars, establishing a scalable modular system as the electric backbone for the future EV portfolio.

• AMG.EA will be a dedicated performance electric vehicle platform addressing technology and performance oriented Mercedes-AMG customers.

• VAN.EA ushers in a new era for purpose made electric vans and Light Commercial Vehicles, which will contribute to emission free transportation and cities in the future.

Manufacturing and battery cell demands

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The upcoming mercedes-Benz EQB.

Mercedes-Benz plans to install battery cell capacity of more than 200 Gigawatt hours with partners, and sets its sights on eight Gigafactories to support this product rollout. The company will develop new partnerships for R&D and production of battery cells in Europe.

Following Tesla’s lead and in an attempt to reduce the bureaucracy and cost of development for legacy automakers, Mercedes-Benz is reorganizing its powertrain activities to put planning, development, purchasing and production under one roof. The company claims this will deepen the level of vertical integration in manufacturing and development and electric drive technology.

Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation batteries will debut in 2025 and will be highly standardized, and suitable for use across more than 90 percent of all Mercedes-Benz cars and vans according to the automaker. The company intends to focus battery cell and module manufacturing in Europe, keeping the supply chain close to home. It will work with technology partners across Europe such as SilaNano to further increase energy density in batteries through silicon- carbon composite anodes.

Mercedes-Benz is also developing solid-state technology, with an aim to create batteries with even higher energy density and safety. The company is already trialling Citaro buses with solid-state batteries.

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EV Brief’s Take

This is all great news in our view. After a general reluctance to commit to electrification from Germany’s big automakers, Mercedes-Benz is officially going “all in”. Massive investment in capital works, battery gigafactories, and cell R&D, as well as ensuring reduced emissions and CO2 neutrality from the production process will allow the brand to get ahead of strict EU emissions regulations, while ensuring future commercial viability.

Streamlining its business through centralised production, common battery modules and shared platform architecture will not only lead to positive business outcomes and an increased return on investment, but it should also bring with it faster product rollout timeframes, and a greater diversity of product offerings.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz EQS.

Rivian partners with Samsung SDI in electric truck battery deal

The Rivian R1T

American electric vehicle startup Rivian announced today that it had reached a successful deal with South Korea’s Samsung SDI Co Limited to supply battery cells for its R1T and R1S electric trucks.

“We’re excited about the performance and reliability of Samsung SDI battery cells combined with our energy-dense module and pack design,” said RJ Scaringe, chief executive officer of Rivian.

Samsung SDI currently has battery supply deals with BMW and Volkswagen, estimated to each be valued around $3-4 billion US over 10 years. The value and terms of the Rivian deal is undisclosed, and it is unclear whether the deal also includes batteries for the company’s electric delivery vans.

Rivian is planning to start production of its R1T and R1S models by mid-2021, and is backed by some big players, including the Ford Motor Company and Amazon.com Inc. The automaker recently announced a successful funding round led by T. Rowe Price, raising $2.65 billion US.

It’s obviously going to be a big year for Rivian, but it could get bigger; the company is likely planning an Initial Public Offering (IPO) later in 2021. Bloomberg reported in February that Rivian is in talks with banks.

A number of EV startups have made the leap to publicly traded companies recently via reverse mergers with shell companies known as special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC). These include Xpeng, Nikola Motors, Lordstown and Canoo. It’s also expected by some analysts that Lucid Motors will go down this route.

Rivian’s skateboard platform. Image: Rivian

Porsche aims for faster charging, higher energy density batteries and own fast charging network

As part of the Volkswagen Group’s inaugural Battery Day presentation, Porsche revealed continuing research and development into high performance battery and charging technologies, including the replacement of graphite with silicone in battery cell anodes.

Battery Technology

"The battery cell is the combustion chamber of tomorrow," says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. "Our electrified high-performance sports and racing cars place the highest demands on battery technology. To meet these demands, Porsche needs special high-performance cells. Silicon has big potential."

Porsche’s Performance Battery Plus and 800V architecture as fitted to the Taycan Turbo.

An EV battery is made up of a few core components: the anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte, and one positive and one negative current collectors. Lithium ions are stored across both the cathode and anode, and the electrolyte carries these positively charged ions from the cathode to the anode during charging, and from the anode to the cathode during discharge (driving).

Porsche is looking at new battery cell chemistries to allow efficient operation in extreme temperatures, and to improve reliability and longevity in DC rapid charging. Porsche states that new batteries will begin testing in limited-production road vehicles and within their customer motorsport program. Porsche has also outlined a desire to ensure that there is a “completely European production chain for high-performance batteries”, implying a geopolitical need to avoid any reliance on dominant South Korean and Chinese cell providers LG Chem and CATL.

Battery modules in the Performance Battery Plus.

Porsche’s Own Charging Network

Porsche also announced plans to roll out a DC fast-charging network across important European autobahns, highways and motorways. Clearly looking to imitate Tesla’s Supercharger network—at least on a small scale—which provides industry-leading convenience and ease of use for Tesla owners, Porsche’s charging stations will feature six to twelve charging points, from 350kW and up.

The DC chargers at Porsche’s Leipzig customer centre could be a model for the company’s future highway chargers.

According to Blume, "An important prerequisite for electromobility is fast and convenient charging. That is why we are currently working on the details of a concept for our own fast-charging stations. We will select attractive locations for these in order to offer our customers the most comfortable and fastest long-distance travel experience possible."

Exact locations are not known at this stage, and plans outside Europe seem unlikely, but Porsche plans self-service lounge facilities with smartphone app access for its customers. These Porsche charging stations should complement the Ionity network nicely, and you can bet that the charging sites will feature Porsche’s usual high-end techno-minimalist look and feel. As the brand expands its electric offerings beyond the Taycan to the Macan and potentially the Cayenne by 2025, this rollout should quell future customers’ concerns about range anxiety, at least in Europe.

Porsche Leipzig’s customer centre features 350 kW DC/22 kW AC charging.

Singapore Begins Research on Floating Energy Storage Solution

Image: Keppel O&M

Space is precious in Singapore; with a population of close to 6 million and a land area of 725km2, creative thinking is required for large scale transport and energy projects. The Maritime Executive writes that Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) plan to install a floating energy storage system with 7.5MWh of lithium ion batteries on Keppel O&M’s Floating Living Lab.

The EMA’s Chief Executive, Ngiam Shih Chun said“Energy storage and smart energy management systems support the deployment of more renewable energy in Singapore. This project will pave the way to overcome our land constraints, and set the blueprint for similar deployments in the future.”

The floating lab batteries will be stacked vertically-a first for Singapore-reducing the footprint by an estimated 40%. A seawater liquid cooling setup will also be implemented, to reduce the batteries’ operating temperature and improve performance in the humid climate of Singapore.

Due for completion in 2023, the 7.5MWh capacity should be enough to supply power to 600 4-room HDB units, which are around 90m2 or 970ft2.

Find out more below:

Source: The Maritime Executive