Mercedes-Benz to become fully-electric by 2030 – but with one condition

Mercedes-Benz is the latest carmaker to announce its EV strategy, outlining plans to only release electric architectures from 2025 before going fully-electric by 2030.

It comes after the European Union officially tabled its plans to ban the sale of internal combustion engines from 2035 last week, with other markets like the United Kingdom already legislating against ICEs from the end of the decade.

However, there is one small catch, as Mercedes-Benz says it will be ready to go all-electric by the end of the decade – but only where market conditions allow.

This means it could continue to sell ICE vehicles in markets which don't have suitable infrastructure or where it believes EV sales will struggle in comparison to ICEs.

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The Mercedes-Benz EQC was a Wheels COTY winner in 2020

In its aim to achieve this goal, Mercedes-Benz will introduce only electric models from 2025, with three new architectures set to be launched in the first year.

Its three platforms will be MB.EA, for medium to large passenger cars, AMG.EA, for its high-performance Mercedes-AMG models, and VAN.EA, underpinning its vans and light commercial vehicles specifically targeted at cities with low emissions requirements.

Accelerating the process will come in the form of increased investments in EV technology, the German manufacturer claiming between 2022 and 2030, its spending will exceed €40 billion (AU$63.8bn). The marque is also hoping to boost its battery cell capacity to 200GWh through the production of eight new gigafactory battery plants.

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EQA was released onto the Australian market this year as an electric alternative to the GLA

CEO of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, Ola Källenius, believes EVs will be crucial in the future success of the brand, with the increased investments helping to expedite the process.

“The EV shift is picking up speed - especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz belongs," said Källenius.

"The tipping point is getting closer and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade.

“This step marks a profound reallocation of capital. By managing this faster transformation while safeguarding our profitability targets, we will ensure the enduring success of Mercedes-Benz.

"Thanks to our highly qualified and motivated workforce, I am convinced that we will be successful in this exciting new era.”

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EQS will be the next electric Mercedes to land locally

Mercedes-Benz is also in the process of developing its Vision EQXX electric vehicle, a car it claims will have a real world driving range of more than 1000km thanks to input from its Formula 1 High Performance Powertrain division.

In Australia, Mercedes-Benz currently sells two EVs, the EQC – winner of the 2020 Wheels Car of the Year (COTY) award – and the recently released EQA, a GLA-sized crossover with a driving range of 380km.

Following this, its EQS sedan is expected to land later this year or in the first quarter of 2022.