Tesla: Mercedes A-Class EV

[dpeilow]

http://subscribers.wardsauto.com/ar/...des_ev_100427/


Always thought the Smart deal was leading here

[tdelta1000]

That stated in a video created by the group that design the touch screen software "Roundarch".

Round Arch Video

[dpeilow]

Auto Express claims this is the new A-Class




I wonder if the new platform has the same sandwich floor construction as the current car? The impression I get from the text is that it won't. In which case, will it be the current or next one that gets the Tesla treatment?

[tdelta1000]

If this is that new A-Class, I think MB has a winner on their hands. I think this should have been the Tesla Motors car for the masses. Darn it!

[shark2k]

If this is that new A-Class, I think MB has a winner on their hands. I think this should have been the Tesla Motors car for the masses. Darn it!

I personally prefer the Model S over that. Of course that is my opinion and to each his own right?

-Shark2k

[ChrisC]

The Mercedes A-class and the Tesla Model S are in entirely different classes, and very different price points. A more apt comparison might be the more affordable car that Tesla might offer after the Model S.

Anyway, it looks a lot like the C230 hatchback, but I bet once we get a rear three quarter shot it'll look a lot more like the rest of the A-class. Meaning not so aggressive after all.

[tdelta1000]

I personally prefer the Model S over that. Of course that is my opinion and to each his own right?

-Shark2k

Hey,

Shark2k...I too have my money on the Model S but the image of the A-Class looks nice.

[Adm]

Mercedes-Benz to Produce 500 E-Cell A-Class Electric Cars

Mercedes-Benz, as part of its collaboration with Tesla Motors, will produce 500 battery-powered “E-Cell” versions of its small A-Class, introducing the car at the Paris auto show in October.

According to Shirin Emeera, a Daimler spokeswoman, details of the electric car will be announced on Sept. 15. She said the car would be produced at the Mercedes Rastatt plant, near Stuttgart, Germany, where the A-Class (which is not sold in the United States) is produced. Delivery of the cars will begin early next year.

Tesla’s components, which include the battery pack and controller, will be shipped there to be integrated into the car.

Ms. Emeera said the E-Cell would have a range of 124 miles and produce 214 pound-feet of torque. She declined to provide further specifications, but JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technical officer, said the car had an approximately 40 kilowatt-hour battery pack, with roughly 4,000 individual cells. He said the performance of the Mercedes E.V. was “equivalent to or slightly faster than the gas versions of the A-Class.”

[green01]

November 6, 2009, I started a thread based on seeing a this vehicle at Tesla.

"While walking by Tesla's Bing Street headquarter's today, I saw a small silver 4 door Mercedes hatchback with Tesla license plates."

I thought before posting, "Would anyone believe me, if I didn't have a photo?". I saw what I saw, so I posted anyway.

Doug and TEG made gracious replies, but I didn't have a picture, so I wondered if I was believed. For the next week, I walked by Tesla with my camera, so I could post a picture, but never saw the car again. Thank goodness, the news is out.

[dpeilow]

By way of comparison, the 1997 version...