Mercedes EV plans go BIG: New Platforms, Gigafactories, Solid-State batteries and more

Mercedes’ electrification plans include new battery Gigafactories, new EV platforms, solid-sate batteries and EVs across the range.

Mercedes may be already churning out electric cars – from the EQA to the EQS – but mostly based on ICE car platforms. Which isn’t ideal.

But now Mercedes sees the tipping point for EV adoption looming ever closer – especially at the ‘luxury end – so they have accelerated plans and will spend more than £35 billion by the end of the decade on their EV domination quest.

To start with, and adding to the existing EQA, EQC and EQS, Mercedes will offer a full BEV in every segment it serves by next year. But the big changes will come a bit further down the line.

From 2025, all newly-launched Mercedes architecture will be electric-only, with Mercedes developing three new EV platforms: MB.EA for medium to large cars, AMG.EA for AMG Performance and VAN.EA for vans. Yes, the platforms do what they say on the tin.

To feed the need for batteries, Mercedes is planning eight new battery Gigafactories, four of which will be in Europe (don’t hold your breath for a UK one) and is working with partners to increase energy density using silicon-carbon composite, and is also in talks to develop solid-state batteries too which, they think, could double energy capacity in the same battery space.

Mercedes isn’t ignoring electric motors either and has acquired UK-based electric motor company YASA to help develop the next generation of axial flux motors, and nor is it ignoring charging, with Plug & Charge promising seamless charging at EV points without barriers. It will also recycle battery packs by repurposing or scavenging for materials.

Despite all this – and going fully BEV by 2030 – Mercedes say the reducing cost of building EVs will allow them to maintain, and even improve, margins.