Mercedes-BenzIts coming All-electric G-Class Newer, more powerful electric vehicles will use battery technology that will help reduce off-road weight.
The German automaker has confirmed that the electric G-Class will be optional from 2025 onwards with silicon-based electric vehicle (EV) battery technology manufactured by US startup Sila Nanotechnology.
The company’s high-silicon anode component is claimed to have increased power density by 20 to 40 percent compared to commercially available battery cells with a comparative format with a volumetric power density of more than 800Wh / L.
For the context, the current Chinese-made Tesla Model 3 comes with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack with a volumetric power concentration of 359Wh / L.
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Marcus Schaefer (left) and Seeler co-founder and CEO Jean Berdychevsky (right)
Simply put, this silicone-based EV battery will allow Mercedes-Benz to store more power in one place, increasing the range of its EVs.
At this stage both companies are aiming for the mid-decade of releasing an extended-range version of the Electric G-Class using silicon-based battery technology.
The batteries will be manufactured at the Seelar manufacturing plant in Washington state, USA, which is powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
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Concept EQG
“Sila has come a long way since we established our strategic partnership in 2019,” said Marcus Schaefer, a member of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG board of management.
“We are delighted to have a leading partner in Silla who will help our future generation of electric luxury vehicles with their highly innovative anode technology.”
“Providing such a high power concentration is a real game changer and allows us to think in a whole new direction when building the electric cars of the future.”
“Our partnership with Seelar is another milestone in building the most coveted electric luxury car.”
Mercedes-Benz is not the first automaker to invest in a company that specializes in silicon-based EV battery technology.
Volvo announced in April 2022 that it was investing in an Israeli startup called Stordot, which operates on a silicon-based battery that can cover the claimed 160 kilometers in five minutes.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the concept of “near-production” EQG in September 2021, promising enough off-road power to match the revolutionary look and petrol-powered G-wagons.
Underneath the skin, the concept EQG has four electric motors that generate unpublished outputs.
On the front, it has a completely independent suspension, while on the rear there is a new solid axle adapted to hold the car’s electric motor.
Although low-down torque is already a power in electric motors, the Mercedes-Benz features a manually-switchable two-speed transmission that can be a low-range electric receiver.
To ensure it can survive off-road, Mercedes-Benz says the electric G-Class will be tested at Shockle Mountain in Graz, Austria, near where the current petrol model is built.
In appearance, the Concept EQG retains the current G-Class’s steep profile and blocky detailing, but has a square spare wheel cover on the back.
More: Mercedes-Benz concept EQG published