Mercedes‑Benz Cars continues to increase its range of plug-in hybrids under the EQ Power label, with he latest additions being to the compact-car range.

With the CLA 250 e Coupé (combined fuel consumption 1.5-1.4 l/100 km, combined CO₂ emissions 35-31 g/km, combined electrical consumption 15.1-15.0 kWh/100 km); CLA 250 e Shooting Brake (combined fuel consumption 1.6-1.4 l/100 km, combined CO₂ emissions 37-33 g/km, combined electrical consumption 15.4-14.8 kWh/100 km), and GLA 250 e (combined fuel consumption 1.8-1.6 l/100 km, combined CO₂ emissions 42-38 g/km, combined electrical consumption 16.1-15.5 kWh/100 km), Mercedes-Benz is completing the range of EQ Power models in the compact-car family with the third-generation hybrid drive system.

The new models can be ordered in spring of this year, with the market launch following just a few weeks later.

The new compact vehicles with EQ Power feature:

• Electric operating ranges of 71-79 km (NEDC)

• Electric output 75 kW

• System output 160 kW

• System torque 450 N·m

• Alternating-current (AC) charging system up to 7.4 kW

• Direct-current (DC) charging system at max. 24 kW

The Mercedes-Benz compact car family features transversely mounted engines. A compact hybrid traction head has been developed for the 8G-DCT dual clutch transmission which follows the same technical principles as the corresponding component on the vehicles with a longitudinally installed engine.

It is a permanently excited synchronous machine as an internal rotor. The stator is permanently integrated in the traction head housing, while the low-loss wet clutch is incorporated in the motor’s rotor. On-demand stator and rotor cooling allow use of the electric motor’s peak and continuous output without any problems.

For the first time on a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, the combustion engine is started by the electric motor—the compact hybrids do not have a separate 12-volt starter.

The electric machine achieves 75 kW. Together with the 1.33-liter four-cylinder engine this produces a system output of 160 kW (218 hp) and a system torque of 450 N·m. As an exaole of the resulting performance, the A 250 e requires 6.6 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, and its top speed is 235 km/h.

A lithium-ion high-voltage battery with a total capacity of approximately 15.6 kWh is used as an electric energy storage unit. The new compact models can be charged with alternating current or direct current. A corresponding vehicle socket is located in the right-hand side wall of the vehicles. This means that the compact plug-in hybrids can be charged at a 7.4 kW wallbox with alternating current (AC) within 1 h 45 min from 10-100% SoC (State of Charge). For direct-current (DC) charging at 24 kW, the battery can be charged from 10-80% SoC in around 25 minutes.

The batteries are supplied by the wholly owned Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE. The high-voltage battery is water-cooled and weighs approximately 150 kg.

To enable only minimal reduction in trunk capacity compared with the sister models without hybrid engines, the exhaust ends in a centrally positioned outlet under the vehicle floor, with the rear muffler housed in the transmission tunnel. Integrating the fuel tank into the axle installation space creates additional room beneath the rear seats for the high-voltage battery.

The compact vehicles are equipped with third-generation plug-in technology. Its functions include in particular the intelligent, route-based operating strategy, taking factors such as navigation data, speed limits and route into account. The operating strategy takes into account the entire planned route and prioritises the electric driving mode for the most sensible route sections in each case.

With the launch of MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) the previous plug-in operating modes of all EQ Power models have been converted to drive programs. That means that in every Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid the new drive programs Electric and Battery Level are available.

This is the case from the outset for the compact models. Maximum e-performance can be experienced in Electric. The combustion engine is only engaged if the driver uses kickdown on the accelerator pedal. In the Electric program, the energy recovery level can also be selected via paddles behind the steering wheel. The paddles on the steering wheel enable the selection of five different recuperation levels (DAUTO, D+, D, D- and D--).

Comfort, ECO and Sport modes are also available. According to the given requirements, the driver is thus able to give priority to electric driving, place the emphasis on driving dynamics in combined drive mode or give preference to combustion mode in order to save electric range, for example.

One important comfort feature is the pre-entry climate control prior to starting a journey, which can also be activated conveniently by smartphone. The towing capacity of the compact hybrids is 1,600 kg (braked).

With the help of the free EQ Ready app, Mercedes-Benz has established how long the journeys of people interested in e-mobility are on average. The results show that:

• 90% of all journeys are shorter than 50 kilometers,

• 96% of all journeys are shorter than 100 kilometers and

• 99% of all journeys are shorter than 400 kilometers

The range of average distances per journey by interested persons varies in the individual markets, extending from just over eight kilometers in Hong Kong to slightly more than 27 kilometers in the Netherlands, where there is particularly high interest in e-mobility. This means that 90% of everyday trips can be completed exclusively under electric power with Mercedes-Benz’s current plug-in models.