Mercedes-Benz is bringing its first all-electric vehicle to the U.S. market with the introduction of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. In anticipation of its early-2014 U.S. arrival, we’re taking a look back at all the cars over the years that have made this vehicle possible. Check out our gallery below for the retrospective.
You can also find out what the B-Class Electric Drive has to offer in the walk-around video below.
Back in 1906 Mercedes offered both electrics and hybrids. The electric vehicles were called “Mercédès Electrique”, while the hybrids were called ““Mercédès Mixte”.
This 1908 photo at the Berlin Fire Department shows Germany’s first electrically powered fire vehicle convoy.
With the 1972 Mercedes-Benz LE 306 electric van, in addition to recharging, you had the option of swapping the batteries for quicker power replenishment.
1982 Mercedes-Benz W123: Mercedes-Benz’s first electric passenger car was also a plug-in hybrid. Check out the MBWorld article about this car for all the details.
These are two of 20 Daimler electric vehicles undergoing practical trials in 1992.
1998 Mercedes-Benz A-Class undergoing long-term electric vehicle testing.
By 2010, a 500-unit production run begins for the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL.
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-CELL
In 2011, Mercedes-Benz built 100 units of the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL to test the waters. The waters were friendly, and another 2,000 electric vans were built.
Mercedes-Benz’s Electric Drive logo is clever in that it appears as an “ED” and a plug at the same time. This is how we prefer to think about the letters “ED” because erectile dysfunction is no fun.
Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
SLS AMG Electric Drive: 740 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque — the quietest AMG happens to be the most powerful car they’ve ever built.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive sits in front of the 2,220-horsepower, 38-foot Cigarette AMG Electric Drive Concept. Its Mercedes-Benz electric motors taken from the SLS AMG make it the fastest and most powerful electric boat in the world.