nwehler

The 48v battery went dead after 230 miles on my new ‘21 GLE450. Could not be jumped and had to be towed. No replacement batteries in the US. My SUV remains at the dealership awaiting a new battery from Germany due 1.11.2021. Unbelievable. That will have my vehicle out of use for >30 days. So frustrating that Mercedes can do no better - roadside support and customer care ends after the tow truck arrives.

F18BEN

My car is also at Delray Mercedes for the same 48 volt battery problem. It's been 3 weeks now. They had to drag the car out of my garage. Not a happy camper...

places

Known issue. More 167 gremlins.

mikapen

Do you have a tech bulletin showing this "known issue?"
Is it defective batteries, charging algorithm, batteries left in discharged state too long, or?
Thanks.

Lucky 777

Glad I got a 350...

places

Search this forum.

mikapen

I did. Can't find anything but opinions. Do you have an actual tech bulletin or other source you could share?

nwehler

Could find no tech bulletin.

MikeFLA

My 2020 GLE450 has the same issue. 48 volt battery needs replacement. None available in the US, and 47 back ordered in Germany. Dealer has no idea when it will be available. Hopefully they fix this issue fast. Crazy to pay this much for a vehicle and have this crap happen. I still love the car, but I have to admit, that is waning. Anyone know if this is just a bad run of batteries, or a deeper problem?

toban

Wonder if I should cancel my order due in March for the GLE 450?

It seems BMW/Audi are also going on this 48 volt system.

This is really disheartening to hear of these battery problems.

Maybe I'm better getting a Ford truck

Toban

mikapen

The VW Group, BMW and FCA (including RAM trucks) all use 48v, some optional - but they are belt-driven. 48v is the future of ancillary power systems.

There is a Standard that 60V or above needs additional safety features, and 48V systems can charge at up to 52V, so the 48V batteries are the sweet spot for cost-effectiveness.
Right now, M-B is the only manufacturer using the inline starter-generator. It's the simplest and most efficient of the current (!) systems. And, as I understand, the 4:1 and 1:4 voltage conversion emit less electrical Noise that other voltages, needing less shielding.
Expect a widespread adoption of 48v systems in the near future, as fuel economy and clean air regs get tighter.

And the fuel savings are real. I have spent a month in a GLE450, two weeks in a GLE350, and own a GLC300 - the last two have the 2.0L four. Guess what - in normal driving, I get essentially the same mpg in all the above, perhaps a bit more with the GLE450. That's saying a lot, especially because I am somewhat tempted to enjoy the smooth acceleration of the straight six. I.e. bury my foot more, in the 450.
The added EQ Boost is real, and regenerative braking is smooth, probably saving brakes, and the elimination of drive belts free up significant power to the wheels.

I know that M-B had a setback, when Tesla bought M-B's main battery supplier and violated the development/supply contract that they had. The CEO of that company (can't remember its name right now) was fired when he wanted to honor the legal contract. This made me realize just how ruthless E. Musk is, and probably just how ruthless the future of electric cars and autonomous driving will become.

toban

Thanks for your reply. I live about 2 hours from my dealer. I’m now concerned if the 48 V battery dies and I can’t boost it with a charger to get it going, I may be stranded with no vehicle. Not sure how reliable this system will be for me. The dealer of course says there has been no issues.

Toban

Lucky 777

So if this battery fails, the car is a dead stick? I'm amazed MB doesn't have software in place to allow the car to still operate with the inline 6 alone.

Ron.s

It’s just a bad batch of batteries & not an ongoing problem. This is just a very recent issue, the 48 V has been solid for the prior 18 months. I recently sold my GLE 450 after ordering a GLE 53 and completely agree with Mikapen. The fuel economy and silky smooth drive train/engine make it the best in class. If it wasn’t for the gauge showing the EQ Boost in action, you wouldn’t know it’s even there. You won’t regret buying a 450....
We have one individual continually running the Mercedes GLE down posting the same crap. His dealer wouldn’t repair an oil leak (on an older car) to his satisfaction so now he jumps at the chance to cheerlead against the brand. IMO, ignore his posts and look for facts.
Edit: There is a Mercedes me notice when the 12 volt gets low on charge but I don’t know if it’s also going to work on the 48V Lithium. Other Lithium batteries I’ve used in tools just die when discharged vs NMH that get too weak to function but still have a little power.

F18BEN

Definitely a bad batch of batteries. I was told it was corrected and plenty of batteries should be in the states in mid January.

F18BEN

If 48 volt fails, the car cannot be driven or jumped.

mikapen

Can you expand on that?
My understanding is that you can jump start, or trickle charge the 48v battery via the 12v posts under the hood. What I have seen, is that there is a 12V to 48V converter in the system to do just that.
What info do you have that is different?
Thanks. We are all learning these new technologies together.

F18BEN

I had MB roadside assistance at my home. He tried to jump it to no avail. He then called over to the dealer and was told that when the 48V battery goes the car cannot be jumped or driven.. In fact it cannot even be put in neutral and had to be dragged out of my garage with wedges under my back tires.

Philamg

DR DOOM POSTS AGAIN

mikapen

How kind of you to call it a DR.....

Ron.s

Be nice guys...living in the District is punishment enough.

mikapen

Here's a story about Tesla severing ties with Daimler and BMW after acquiring their partner/battery supplier, Grohmann. And firing the CEO who wanted to continue the legal contracts with both.
https://insideevs.com/news/334183/te...ash-with-musk/
Hopefully Daimler will transcend Tesla in battery tech - word is that they are on track to do just that.

toban

Now, I’m new at this like everyone else but I did talk to the head mechanic at the dealership and he confirmed when the car is running, the generator charges the 48V battery and the 12V AGM battery together. He said if you put a battery charger on the charging posts it will place a charge on the AGM through the converter and charge the 48v lithium lion battery too. I’m now trying to find out if a special charger is needed.
I hope this is right because It would be very disappointing to be spending this much on a problematic system.
I hope MB gets it right in January as this is when my car goes into production.
thanks for you comments and anything else people find out would be appreciated.

Toban

Brer Rabbit

I believe (page 584 of the owner's manual) that the AGM battery charges the 48-volt lithium battery via the voltage converter. The charger you buy should be AGM battery compatible. CTEK makes them.

whoover

The starter is 48V so if there is a problem with the 48V circuit the car can't start. If the 48V battery fails it won't take a charge so you're dead in the water. The concept of using another vehicle's (12V) battery to power the starter is not applicable, so jump-starting doesn't compute. And there's no provision for 48V-to-48V jump starting because, even if AAA had 48V available, it would be way too dangerous to both people and onboard electronics.