Mercedes hybrid cars: everything you need to know

► Mercedes hybrids explained
► Plug-in and mild hybrid models
► AMG’s hybrid future

Current and future Mercedes models rely heavily on hybrid technology to achieve more power, lower emissions and lower fuel consumption. A quarter of the Mercedes vehicles sold in Europe are already hybrid or purely electric.

Since Mercedes is Mercedes, the hybrid structure and model range need to be explained.

Here are some useful links to help you navigate this article:

Mercedes EQ Power (plug-in hybrid)

EQ Power refers to the plug-in hybrids from Mercedes-Benz. These cars give you the option to run on pure electricity, fossil fuels, or a combination of both. The electricity is designed for city trips and short trips, while the gasoline / diesel option offers greater range for longer trips. You can charge the batteries through a plug or with the car’s engine.

What does that actually mean? Let’s take the small A-class hatchback from Mercedes (below) as an example.

The plug-in hybrid class A is the A250e and has a 1.3-liter gasoline engine like the A180 and A200 models. The A250e’s 10.6 kWh battery is an impressive 300 kg more than the A200.

In return, you will receive a combined output of 218 hp. That’s an additional 55 horsepower and an incredible 148 lb ft of torque over the A200. The A250e is 1.4 seconds faster to 6.6 seconds (60 mph) and has a WLTP-based fuel economy of 280 MPG. Take this with a grain of salt. The official range is 44 miles – another number that must be consumed with sodium.

The trunk of the A250e is slightly smaller than that of the A200 (310 liters compared to 355 liters) and in the same trim level the A250e is about 3,000 pounds more than the A200.

Take a look at our Mercedes A250e Hybrid test

The Mercedes plug-in hybrid range also includes the B-Class, C-Class, CLA, E-Class, GLA, GLC, GLE and the S-Class.

In short, Merc’s plug-in hybrids achieve better fuel economy and much lower emissions than gasoline, resulting in a higher price point and a smaller trunk.

The Mercedes EQ Power hybrid models include:

A250e
B250e
CLA 250e
C300e and C300de
E300e and E300de
S-Class (coming in 2021)
GLA 250e
GLC 300e and GLC 300de
GLE 350de

Mercedes EQ Boost (mild hybrid)

Plug-ins aren’t the only hybrids in the Mercedes range. There are also mild hybrids.

While these cars have electrical power, they cannot be used on their own and cannot be plugged in to charge. Instead, they are charged by the internal combustion engine and work with it. The performance gaps are filled in order to achieve a more even and more uniform performance. More efficient power output, improved fuel consumption and a slight increase in performance.

EQ Boost is standard in many gasoline Mercedes models, including:

Mercedes EQ Boost hybrid models:
Mercedes C200 and C300
Mercedes CLS 300d
Mercedes-AMG CLS53
Mercedes E200 and E450
Mercedes S500 (coming in 2021)
Mercedes GLC 300
Mercedes GLE 450
Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 and GLE 63 S.
Mercedes-AMG GLS 63
Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600

What about AMG?

The hybridization does not filter into the performance department of Merc, but flows into it.

The One-Hyperauto (below) – the F1 road car that is due to hit the market later this year – acts as the flagship for the Mercedes-AMG revolution from souper-upper to stand-alone manufacturer. The One will have a revised version of the 1.6-liter hybrid used in the Mercedes F1 car that has over 1,000 horsepower.

Stay up to date with the Mercedes-AMG One

With regard to the “normal” upcoming AMG models, everything revolves around hybrid technology. To get to the heart of a very long story, there is a completely new performance hybrid layout for upcoming AMG models, which Mercedes has referred to as the P3.

The P3 layout uses the 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 4.0-liter V8 engines of the current Mercedes AMG models and couples them to a new electric motor that sits above the rear axle and has its own two-speed gear -Gear features. Yes, your future AMG model will have two engines and two transmissions.

For example, the new C-Class will have an AMG C63 variant from 2022 and use the new 2.0-liter hybrid layout.

We know how powerful this turbo engine is in the A45 S, but the AMG engineers have worked on it again and claim to have further increased the output to over 440 hp. Combine that with the electric motor with an output of up to 150 kW (201 hp) and, according to Mercedes, the future C63 will be at least as powerful as its V8 predecessor and supposedly more flexible – but without the thundering soundtrack.

The 4.0-liter V8 hybrid layout is not expected to be used in the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT73 until later this year, followed by AMG’s takeover of the new SL (the non-AMG SL will also be hybrid technology in the form of use EQ Boost).

AMG is also fully electric, which Mercedes calls 100 percent emotions and zero emissions. AMG will both use its own exclusive platforms and manufacture AMG versions of EQ models.

Like the upcoming EQ models, the AMG versions will use the 400-volt lithium-ion batteries, albeit with a new wiring harness, meaning they will be more adapted to high-capacity, AMG-style performance. In addition, the electric motors to be used turn up to 18,000 rpm, which enables top speeds of up to 250 km / h. AMG has also talked about keeping sound a part of the AMG experience, so let’s see how it does it.

Mercedes Me Charge

With Mercedes me Charge, customers can access a range of charging systems in one app (via subscription), including the UK’s largest charging system, Polar.

But to be fair, the Mercedes me app makes it easier to charge the vehicle.

Read more about the future of auto apps

Mercedes sustainable building

One of the main criticisms anti-EV folks have of electrification is the claim that EVs and hybrids are not more environmentally friendly because of the production process. Mercedes has made a list of future goals and a CO2-neutral supply chain by 2039 is one of them.

It is crucial that Mercedes ensures that the batteries purchased from suppliers are produced in a climate-neutral manner. In fact, Mercedes is already claiming that the batteries it buys for the much-anticipated EQS sedan (featured in the June 2021 issue of CAR) are made in climate-neutral production.

At the other end of the life cycle, Mercedes has expanded its recycling and drop-off services for cars in the UK. Mercedes has partnered with Autogreen Ltd to provide an authorized network for recycling and scrapping cars.