The Mercedes-Benz CLA Will Be A Range And Efficiency Monster With EQXX Tech

Virtually three years in the past now, Mercedes-Benz confirmed off one thing that appeared able to doing the not possible. Dubbed the Imaginative and prescient EQXX, it had the identical dimension battery as a Mercedes EQS, simply 30% lighter and taking on half as a lot house. Its electrical motor was a lot smaller than most with its energy output. It was aerodynamic sufficient to make a fighter jet seem like a faculty bus.

Put all these improvements collectively, and Mercedes had a automobile that would drive 747 miles on a single cost—sure, actually—or 627 miles within the warmth of a Saudi Arabian desert. And it delivered groundbreaking electrical effectivity of as much as 8.5 miles per kilowatt-hour, nearly twice pretty much as good as at present’s finest EVs.

At different automakers, this venture would have stayed a mere science experiment. Not so at Mercedes-Benz, the place certainly one of its prime engineers just lately instructed me the automobile’s expertise will instantly translate to its most essential EV but: the brand new CLA-Class.

Timo Stegmaier, Mercedes head of e-drive compact/midsize and system validation, additionally labored on Mercedes-Benz’s groundbreaking EQXX venture and has been accountable for bringing lots of the learnings from there into the just about production-ready CLA. 

“The world-record EQXX, it was essential for us with the automobile to affect sequence manufacturing,” Stegmaier mentioned of the long-tailed prototype machine. “It was very nice not solely doing a showcase with the EQXX, it was fairly cool additionally right here within the CLA.” 

The brand new CLA-Class will probably be a vital mannequin for Mercedes-Benz. Its first go at EVs, the EQ-branded sedans and SUVs, didn’t actually make a splash within the market as anticipated. Future Mercedes electrical fashions at the moment are mentioned to look far more like their acquainted gas-powered counterparts. And like different automakers, Mercedes can be pushing again its all-electric targets as gross sales show uneven.

However it could possibly’t hand over on EVs totally. Mercedes faces intense electrical competitors in, and now from, China. It has strict emissions and gas financial system requirements to fulfill globally. And the corporate lengthy recognized for innovation doesn’t need to cede that management to anybody. So the CLA-Class would be the first of a number of new extra compact, ultra-efficient electrical sedans, wagons and even giant crossovers. And so they’ll have hybrid variations that includes batteries paired with a brand new high-efficiency four-cylinder engine. 

Any method you take a look at it, effectivity is the secret right here. The EQXX set new information for that on a number of events. A lot of the expertise from EQXX will dwell on within the CLA in some kind or one other, however Stegmaier mentioned there have been some enhancements, too. 

“The CLA has the same motor” to the EQXX, he mentioned, enhancements over the powertrain seen within the EQE and EQS protecting not solely {hardware} design however softer stuff, just like the forms of lubricants used inside. Stegmaier declined to elaborate on that however mentioned that the basic idea of the battery and its electronics, that of “the one field,” continues on from the EQXX as nicely.

With this design, Mercedes engineers positioned not solely the battery cells and thermal administration however a lot of the charging and controller infrastructure collectively right into a single element. This can absolutely simplify manufacturing but additionally optimize house throughout the Mercedes Modular Structure, or MMA, the platform that the CLA will roll upon.

It additionally creates room for a frunk, which earlier fashions just like the EQE and EQS have lacked. “It’s a very compact motor out within the entrance,” Stegmaier mentioned. “So the compact design makes it doable to have a very fairly cool frunk.” Stegmaier would not give me a particular quantity, however by the sound of issues, a number of groceries or a backpack could be affordable.

However there will be different enhancements, too, together with an power density from the 85 kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) pack that, Stegmaier says, is 20% greater than the corporate’s earlier cells.

The drivetrain configuration is considerably completely different from the EQ automobiles, too. Whereas the entrance motor association is comparable, a completely excited motor with a disconnect, the rear of the CLA depends on a two-speed transmission. 

Stegmaier referred to as this method: “The center of effectivity.” Two speeds allow the rear motor to function effectively at a better vary of speeds. 

Realizing that EV transmissions are a controversial subject—particularly whether or not the extra complexity is worth it—I requested whether or not there was any inner debate about going with this strategy for the CLA. “It isn’t a simple determination as a result of, as you mentioned, it is also advanced and expensive,” he mentioned. “However we had been very clear. We additionally need to convey that effectivity into the CLA, and there, the two-speed gearbox is completely obligatory.”

The result’s a automobile that, Stegmaier says, will cowl a whopping 5.2 miles per kWh and ship 93% effectivity. That ought to trump even the Lucid Air Pure as essentially the most environment friendly EV round. This efficiency, he mentioned, really hampered his workforce’s earlier testing within the Alps.

“There have been many occasions my workforce was coming as much as me and saying, ‘We had an issue. We could not do any charging exams as a result of we could not get the automobile empty,'” he mentioned. 

PR-friendly testing issues apart, a part of that effectivity in steep terrain is due to considerably greater regen charges than earlier Mercedes-Benz EVs. The CLA is ready to generate as much as 200 kW underneath braking, or nearly 3 times what a Tesla Mannequin 3 can do. Stegmaier declined to say what number of Gs the automobile can maintain underneath deceleration however did say that essentially the most aggressive of the three regen modes (D, D-, and D+) will probably be a correct one-pedal expertise, with the automobile coming to a whole cease. 

That captured momentum will, in fact, assist recharge the battery through the automobile’s 800-volt system. Relating to charging the old school method, a 320 kW DC charger will allow grabbing 186 miles of cost in simply 10 minutes, a part of what helped the workforce cowl over 2,300 miles in 24 hours in one more record-breaking run. 

That charging will occur through a Tesla-style NACS plug, whereas a separate J1772 plug is there for slower duties. And, Stegmaier assured me that the ability will stream each methods: “We are going to provide bidirectional charging, so you should use the CLA additionally as storage,” he mentioned.

That is plenty of excellent news for EV homeowners, however the adjustments prolong past the {hardware} of the brand new platform. The CLA will show important software program revisions as nicely, beginning with the MB.OS system operating within the dashboard.

The software program controlling these motors can be improved, one thing Stegmaier mentioned could be a boon in low-grip circumstances, such because the slippery, snowy check journey I obtained. Even in deep snow, the CLA’s dual-motor all-wheel-drive system did not skip a beat. 

Once more, a lot of that is due to the learnings from the electrical EQXX, however many had been shocked to study that the platform it spawned, MMA, may also be used for a 48-volt hybrid.

Mercedes has confirmed they may launch an inner combustion model of the CLA, and whereas that information dropped solely just lately, Stegmaier mentioned a hybrid was all the time a part of the plan: “It was from the start,” he mentioned, “as a result of we need to provide each worlds, each buyer wants. So should you go to the store, you’ll purchase a CLA. The second query will probably be, which powertrain do you need to select?”

That, then, raises the query of how these two CLAs will probably be differentiated available in the market. Each will merely be referred to as CLA, with Mercedes-Benz counting on its numerical nomenclature to establish the powertrains, very like with the present G-Class. There, the interior combustion fashions are G550 or AMG G63, whereas the electrical mannequin is the G580. 

I requested Stegmaier if there could be any important visible differentiators. “There are little, little or no, variations between the hybrid and the electrical automobile,” he mentioned, suggesting the grille therapy would be the largest differentiator. 

Which means you’ll see greater than a bit of the design heritage of the ultra-efficient EQXX EV even within the gas-powered CLA. However the place that automobile featured a dramatic however considerably impractical form, with an extended tail designed to assist aerodynamics, the CLA’s form will probably be extra pert, extra sensible.

And, if the CLA Idea is any indication, one thing way more enticing than Mercedes’ present EV choices. 

Tim Stevens is a veteran editor, analyst, and skilled within the tech and automotive industries. He helmed CNET’s automotive protection for 9 years and acted as Vice President of Content material. Previous to that, Tim served as Editor-in-Chief at Engadget and even led a earlier life as an Enterprise Software program Architect. Comply with Tim on Twitter at @tim_stevens and catch his Substack.