Mercedes-Benz has added plug-in hybrid variants for its smallest cars and the A250e and B250e can do about 75km on electric power alone, while also sprinting from 0-100 kph in 6.6 seconds.
Mercedes-Benz will be introducing three new plug-in hybrid variants for their smallest cars – the A-Class hatchback, the B-Class hatchback as well as the A-Class Sedan – at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. These plug-in hybrids from Mercedes-Benz have been given the 250e suffix – the A250e and the B250e – and they seem to pack in quite some punch.
The Mercedes-Benz A250e and the B250e are both powered by a 1.3L, turbocharged four-cylinder engine which puts out 160 bhp. The engine is paired with a 75kW electric motor that is powered by a 15.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. It thus gets a combined power output of 215 bhp and 400 Nm of torque. Power is sent to only the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Mercedes claims an electric only range of 70-75 km, with speeds up to 140 kph.
The Mercedes-Benz A250e can sprint from 0-100 kph in just 6.6 seconds while B250e can do the same in 6.8 seconds. The battery can be topped up from 10% to 100% in an hour and 45 minutes when using an alternating current (AC) charger. Given the access to a DC charger, the battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 25 minutes. The MBUX infotainment system helps you find charging stations along your route. The steering wheel also gets paddles that lets you choose between five different levels of brake regeneration to charge the batteries on the go.
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Mercedes-Benz has very well engineered the packaging of the hybrid powertrain components in the A250e and B250e. The exhaust system has been placed right under the passenger compartment and not at the car’s rear end. The silencer is sandwiched into the transmission tunnel, thus freeing up space for the fuel tank over the rear axle. This also allows for the battery pack to be placed under the rear seats, compromising the boot space by just a little.
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The Mercedes-Benz A250e is already up for sale in the European market while the B250e will be up for sale in a few weeks time. These plug-in hybrid models is also expected to make it to our shores considering we get the standard A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks here in India. Mercedes-Benz plans to have more than ten plug-in hybrids in their global lineup by the end of this year.
