The Mercedes-Benz CLA Will Be A Vary And Effectivity 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 appear to be a college bus.

Put all these improvements collectively, and Mercedes had a automobile that may 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 as we speak’s greatest EVs.

At different automakers, this venture would have stayed a mere science experiment. Not so at Mercedes-Benz, the place considered one of its high engineers lately instructed me the automobile’s know-how will straight translate to its most necessary 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 liable for bringing lots of the learnings from there into the virtually production-ready CLA. 

Photograph by: InsideEVs

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Prototype

“The world-record EQXX, it was essential for us with the automobile to affect collection 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 might be an important 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 will possibly’t surrender on EVs totally. Mercedes faces intense electrical competitors in, and now from, China. It has strict emissions and gas financial system requirements to satisfy globally. And the corporate lengthy identified 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. They usually’ll have hybrid variations that includes batteries paired with a brand new high-efficiency four-cylinder engine. 

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

Photograph by: InsideEVs

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Prototype

“The CLA has the same motor” to the EQXX, he mentioned, enhancements over the powertrain seen within the EQE and EQS masking not solely {hardware} design however softer stuff, just like the kinds 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 may certainly simplify manufacturing but additionally optimize house inside the Mercedes Modular Structure, or MMA, the platform that the CLA will roll upon.

Photograph by: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes CLA MMA Platform

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 attainable to have a extremely fairly cool frunk.” Stegmaier would not give me a particular quantity, however by the sound of issues, just a few groceries or a backpack can be affordable.

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

The drivetrain configuration is considerably completely different from the EQ vehicles, 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. 

Photograph by: InsideEVs

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Prototype

Stegmaier known as this method: “The guts of effectivity.” Two speeds allow the rear motor to function effectively at a higher 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 inside 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 complicated and dear,” he mentioned. “However we have been very clear. We additionally need to carry that effectivity into the CLA, and there, the two-speed gearbox is totally mandatory.”

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 group’s earlier testing within the Alps.

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

Photograph by: InsideEVs

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Prototype

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

That captured momentum will, in fact, assist recharge the battery by way of 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 group cowl over 2,300 miles in 24 hours in yet one more record-breaking run. 

That charging will occur by way of a Tesla-style NACS plug, whereas a separate J1772 plug is there for slower duties. And, Stegmaier assured me that the facility will circulate each methods: “We’ll supply bidirectional charging, so you should utilize the CLA additionally as storage,” he mentioned.

Photograph by: Mercedes-Benz

That is a whole lot of excellent news for EV homeowners, however the modifications lengthen 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 can be a boon in low-grip situations, such because the slippery, snowy check journey I acquired. 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 because of the learnings from the electrical EQXX, however many have been stunned to be taught that the platform it spawned, MMA, can even be used for a 48-volt hybrid.

Photograph by: InsideEVs

Mercedes MMA Platform Hybrid Engine

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

That, then, raises the query of how these two CLAs might be differentiated available in the market. Each will merely be known 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. 

Photograph by: InsideEVs

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

Meaning you’ll see greater than somewhat 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 a protracted tail designed to assist aerodynamics, the CLA’s form might be extra pert, extra sensible.

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

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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.