My Analysis & Pictures From Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub Opening In Atlanta

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I have covered the Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub announcement here and the roundtable with Mercedes-Benz executives here. In this article, I’m sharing my pictures and a summary of the opening, my comments on the EQS, and comments on the EQS from one of my friends.

The Chargers

The Hub For People To Hang Out In While Their Car Charges

The Presentation

Here is my summary of the presentation:

• Electric luxury brand’s growth strategy.

• CEO emphasizes company’s commitment to becoming the most desired electric luxury brand.
• Mercedes-Benz plans to expand its electric vehicle lineup and invest in US production facilities with a focus on customer convenience and reliable high-speed charging.

• Improving global charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

• Aims to revolutionize charging experience with sustainable, emission-free mobility.
• Aims to create a sustainable and accessible charging network with 10,000 points globally, prioritizing North America.
• Highlights the parallel between electrifying the country in the 1920s and building charging infrastructure today, emphasizing the need for public investment and a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
• Aims to lead the electric vehicle charging revolution with premium, high-powered chargers.
• Haskell is North America’s fastest charger, delivering up to 400 kilowatts of power.
• MN8 is partnering with Mercedes-Benz to build a network of renewable energy assets for electrification of transportation.
• Highlights the rapid development of EV charging stations in North America, with Emanate aiming to provide quality and reliability to individual EV drivers while ensuring sustainable energy sources.

Analysis Of Mercedes Charging Hub

My analysis is that rolling out a large number of EV charging stations globally will enhance Mercedes-Benz’s reputation, as long as their reliability is excellent. The fact that the stations are open to other companies’ cars will maximize the impact of the network and expose the brand to many individuals who might not have considered the brand before. The exclusive perks of owning a Mercedes-Benz vehicle are significant in that the car will make a reservation for you automatically from its navigation system and Plug&Charge will make the experience easier than filling up at a gas station. This will be great help in gaining mindshare, but it is still secondary to the quality and pricing of the automobiles themselves. That might not be a problem if many consumers agree with my friend quoted below.

Thoughts On EQS 580 From Longtime Friend Michael Mantei

Michael bought the car a couple months ago after also considering a Tesla Model Y and Model X. I asked him what he thought of the car and his response was:

We are very pleased with the car and the performance is outstanding. The features and hyper screen are really over whelming. Since Vanessa is the driver and truly drives less than 7500 miles a year, charging hasn’t been an issue. We did take it out of town to Miami and we found that the chargers list 350kW but really provide 150kW. Hotel chargers cater to the Tesla and rarely work — for us 1/4.

Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Tesla [TSLA], BYD [BYDDY], Nio [NIO], XPeng [XPEV], Hertz [HTZ], NextEra Energy [NEP], and several ARK ETFs. But I offer no investment advice of any sort here. Mercedes-Benz covered my travel expenses to experience the opening. 

All images by Paul Fosse