Mercedes-Benz will launch a new open EV charging network in North America later this year. Mercedes plans to operate more than 400 instant charging stations and more than 2,500 high-power chargers in North America by 2027. Mercedes says the network will also expand to include Europe, China and “other major markets” with more than 10,000 charging points by the end of the decade. Initially, Mercedes plans to have between four and 12 charging heads per hub, but that number could increase to 30 in the future.
In an interview with the media during this year’s CES, Mercedes-Benz Chief Technology Officer Markus Schaefer said that an important reason why Mercedes is willing to spend billions of dollars to buy land and install thousands of charging stations is to ultimately improve Mercedes. The electric vehicle experience of a German driver. Schaefer said customers have made clear what they think about current EV charging solutions, and the level of dissatisfaction has led to Mercedes deciding to “do the right thing, the way we think things should be done.” That meant finding safe, clean and convenient places for stations, and a technological backend for Mercedes drivers.
This includes discounted prices for Mercedes me Charge users, and a way for Mercedes electric vehicles to navigate you to a charging station on long-distance journeys and automatically book a charging appointment at the appropriate location. If you take a different route or run into traffic, you can dynamically update your booking without extra work for the driver. For example, Mercedes-Benz EV drivers can manually book times at charging stations in their cars, and the network “will prioritize Mercedes-Benz customers”. From a driver’s perspective, the navigation system in a Mercedes electric car will be able to communicate with the charging network, then automatically optimize routes and book charging slots when needed, so you can arrive at your destination on time without any hassle. Mileage anxiety. At the same time, Mercedes will enter the market for high-power (up to 350 kW) charging networks.
The charging network will be open to drivers of any compatible electric vehicle at select locations close to major urban areas, major roads and participating Mercedes-Benz dealerships. The charging stations will use Plug & Charge technology to send payment details from the car to the charger without any additional interaction, but credit card and app-based payment methods will also be available.
Just because the station is open to any compatible EV doesn’t mean there’s nothing special for drivers of EQS or other Mercedes plug-in models. For example, Mercedes-Benz EV drivers will be able to book time at charging stations through their cars, and the network “will prioritize Mercedes-Benz customers”. From the driver’s perspective, the navigation system in a Mercedes electric car will be able to communicate with the charging network, then automatically optimize the route and automatically book a charging slot when needed, so you can arrive at your destination on time and at no cost Range anxiety.
Tesla leads the way in EV charging stations operated by the automaker, but nearly all of its 40,000 Supercharger stations use Tesla-specific adapters and are not compatible with other EVs.
