For those conscious of doing their part to conserve the environment and utilise energy efficient transportation, Mercedes-Benz says it has now opened the order book throughout southern Africa for motorists who wish to drive the electric C350. The vehicles are expected to be delivered as of August this year. The Mercedes-Benz C 350 “e sedan” is four-cylinder petrol engine, in conjunction with a powerful electric motor, which together give a total system output of 205 kW and torque of 600 Nm. Yet even though it is fast, it still offers a certified consumption figures of just 2.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. This corresponds to CO2 emissions of 65 grams per kilometre. Interestingly it also gives a range of 31 kilometres in purely electric mode, local emission-free driving is now a reality.
Thanks to an intelligent on-board charging system, the battery can be recharged in around 1 hour 45 minutes at a wall-box (230 V, 16 A, 3.7 kW single-phase). But even in Namibia where there are no wall-box charging station, the car can also be charged via a standard home socket in the garage. Depending on the connection, a charge time of around two hours is achievable (with 230 V and 13 A, 3.0 kW). Despite the space taken up by the battery, the C 350 e still has a boot capacity of 335 litres.
The C 350 e is equipped as standard with AIRMATIC air suspension plus a Pre-Entry Climate Control system that can be controlled via the internet, adding up to a truly exceptional level of driving and climate comfort.
And at a retail price of just above N$805 000 the price is not that steep. As with all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, the C 350 e comes standard with a class-leading six-year/100 000 km PremiumDrive maintenance plan.
“The successful manufacture of the C 350 e sedan at our award winning Mercedes-Benz East London plant to exacting world-class standards, is another milestone in our illustrious 68-year history of engineering excellence,” says Arno van der Merwe, CEO Mercedes-Benz South Africa & Executive Director Manufacturing.
Thanks to the combination of combustion engine and electric drive, hybrid drive systems deliver impressively low consumption, but with high performance. The electric motor is able to replace or support the combustion engine in situations where the combustion engine does not perform quite so well, and makes practical use of energy generated while braking by converting it into electric energy and storing it.
The hybrid module of the standard 7-speed automatic transmission 7G-TRONIC PLUS incorporates both the electric motor and an additional clutch between the combustion engine and the electric motor. When driving in all-electric mode, this decouples the combustion engine from the drive train. It also, however, offers the possibility of moving off using the combustion engine but with the performance of a wet start-up clutch. The clutch here is a substitute for the torque converter.
The high overall system output and intelligent engine management give the car the dynamic performance of a nimble sports car. And it combines this with the ride comfort of a premium sedan, along with fuel consumption and environmental compatibility at a level that, until not all that long ago, would not even have been expected of many small cars. This sedan sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 250 km/h in conjunction with certified fuel consumption of 2.1 litres per 100 kilometres. This corresponds to CO2 emissions of 65 grams per kilometre. The C 350 e offers the possibility of driving up to 31 kilometres in all-electric mode, and completely free of CO2 emissions locally – for example in the city.