Mercedes-Benz engineers plan to improve the range of the G-Class electric SUV by 35 percent. It's no secret that this is possible only by installing a new battery on the car.
The battery with a capacity of 116 kWh is huge by the standards of most electric cars, but it is not enough for long trips in the G-Class. With it, the German SUV can travel only 438 km before the driver needs to find a charger.
But representatives of Mercedes reported Autocar, that the model will be available with an entirely new type of battery within the next two years. The new battery pack with a silicon anode should provide a 20-40 percent increase in energy density.
According to preliminary data, the range of the electric SUV with the new battery will be 570 km. That range wouldn't break any records, but it would help make the G580 much more “long-range.” If the engineers manage to increase the energy density not by 20, but by 40 percent, the effective capacity of the battery could reach 162 kWh, thus increasing the range to 650-670 km.
“Achieving such high energy density is truly a game-changer and allows us to think in completely new directions when designing future electric vehicles.” – said the technical director of Mercedes Markus Schäfer.