FRANKFURT -- Mercedes-Benz will bring out an electric-powered Tesla fighter in the next few years.
Mercedes plans to begin selling an electric vehicle with a range of 400-500km (250 to 310 miles) within a few years, possibly in 2018, Thomas Weber, Daimler board member in charge of Mercedes-Benz car development, said in an interview here.
The planned EV isn’t meant to be competitive with the company’s electric versions of the Smart ForTwo, Mercedes B class or the Mercedes-AMG SLS, Weber said.
“It’s something different,” he said. “It’s unique; it’s emotional. Wait and see.”
The vehicle likely will need to be a larger vehicle to accommodate the size of the battery pack necessary for that proposed range.
Some of the aerodynamic features shown in the automaker’s Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile concept unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show on Tuesday could be used to help extend electric range, Weber said.
“Aerodynamics is and will be important,” he said.
