Daimler to reveal big range EV prototype

Daimler will show a long-distance EV prototype in Paris this October – but it could be up to 10 years before we see it on the road.

Chief development officer Thomas Weber said the electric Mercedes car will be built to compete with Tesla’s Model X SUV during a press event in Stuttgart.

“The structure is ready, the teams are working and the initial results from road tests are coming in quick succession,” he said, while noting that it would be “sometime in the next decade” before it was production ready.

Euro carmakers are stepping up their electric investments to both meet tough new EU emissions targets and to reign in American battery-powered darling Tesla.

BMW – probably the closest to Tesla in terms of EV product available now – is reportedly working on a long-range concept, and VW subsidiaries Audi and Porsche have already revealed theirs.

Germany’s government has ramped up subsidies for zero-emission vehicles.

Weber says the next-generation Smart EV will be launched at the end of the year in both two and four-seat versions. It also has a Mercedes-Benz B-Class electric car in the range and a large number of hybrid options. It’s also investing in fuel-cell technology, and was due to launch a car two years ago, before canning plans citing pricing issues. A fuel-cell GLC is now expected to enter full production next year.