Mercedes upgrades PHEVs for 'longer than envisaged' shelf life

Mercedes-Benz will extend the life cycles of its plug-in hybrid A-Class, B-Class and CLA after ailing EV sales have “prompted a change in planning”, sources at the car maker have told Autocar.

This new lease of life for the MFA-based cars will bring increased battery capacities and a rise in electric-only range.

This decision represents a slight backtracking from the German car maker, which planned to cull various compact models, including the A-Class hatchback, to free up production capacity for its new line up of EVs from 2025.

One source said: “Slower than expected sales of electric models has prompted a change in planning of the compact car line-up. Internal-combustion-engine models based on the MFA platform will receive a longer life cycle than was originally envisaged.”

Official information has yet to be released, though Autocar has been told that, from September, all compact Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid models will receive a 13kWh battery in place of the current 11.6kWh (net) battery used today.

The revised battery is said to use the same casing and have the same volume as today’s unit, boosting the electric range by around six miles in each model.

This should extend the WLTP electric range of the A250e hatchback beyond 60 miles. Other affected models include the B250e, CLA 250e saloon, CLA 250e Shooting Brake and A250e saloon.

The decision reflects a change in Germany’s car leasing law. The change calls for an increase in the electric range of plug-in hybrids from 60km to 80km (37 to 48 miles) and/or a CO2 emission figure of below 50g/km to achieve a certain tax threshold.

Meanwhile, separate sources reveal that Mercedes-Benz plans to increase the battery capacity of the electric-powered EQA 350 4Matic and EQB 350 4Matic, also from September. The two models will receive a 70.5kWh battery instead of the 66.5kWh one used in European-market models until now.

The larger-capacity battery, which is already offered as standard equipment in the North American-market EQB 350 4Matic, is claimed to provide the EQA 350 4Matic with an increase in WLTP range from 285 to 296 miles, with the EQB 350 4Matic’s range rising from 277 to 289 miles.