A Look Back at Mercedes-Benz Electric Vehicle Technology

By Manuel Carrillo III - October 14, 2013

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.