A
map of Mercedes-Benz's production network. The facilities that
will be used to make electric vehicles are highlighted in
blue.
Daimler
Mercedes-Benz outlined how it plans to challenge Tesla
as the premier luxury electric car brand on Monday.
Mercedes said it will make electric vehicles in six
plants across three continents while creating a "global battery
network" to produce batteries for the vehicles.
The brand plans to launch its electric EQ brand with
the fully-electric EQC SUV, which is set for production in
2019.
The looming
rivalry between Tesla
and Mercedes-Benz took a giant step forward.
On Monday, Mercedes
outlined how it plans to challenge Tesla as the premier
luxury electric car brand.
In a
press release posted to the website of its parent
company, Daimler, Mercedes said it will produce electric vehicles
in six plants across three continents. The brand also said it
will create a "global battery network" to produce batteries for
its vehicles. It currently has five battery factories and plans
to complete a sixth in 2018.
Daimler had previously announced that it would invest $11 billion
to make sure each Mercedes-Benz vehicle would have a
fully-electric or hybrid version by 2022, which signaled that the
brand would take a more aggressive approach to producing electric
cars than many of its competitors. The brand plans to launch its
electric EQ brand with the fully-electric EQC SUV, which is
set for production in 2019.
Mercedes is serious about electric cars
While other brands have announced ambitious plans related to
electric vehicles, Mercedes' intention to build its own batteries
signals the brand's seriousness in becoming a major player in the
electric market.
Tesla's battery business is one of the company's greatest
strengths. Since 2013, the company has been building out its
giant battery factory in Nevada, known as the Gigafactory 1, where it makes
the batteries for its vehicles and the batteries
for its Powerwall and Powerpack. Tesla's early investment in
battery production has long been called one of its greatest
advantages because it put the company ahead of competitors also
pursuing electric cars.
The fact that Mercedes is doubling down on battery factories
shows that the company is going after the heart of Tesla's
business.
What's more, Mercedes has almost 100 years of experience making
cars, while Tesla has less than 20. So it's possible the German
automaker will simply outproduce Tesla in EVs. Afterall, Mercedes
delivered 2.3 million cars in 2017, while Tesla delivered just
101,000.
Get the latest Tesla stock price here.
Source link
No comments:
Post a Comment