The Mercedes CLA EV Will Have Both Tesla NACS And Type1 (J1772) Plugs (UPDATED)

The Mercedes CLA is the primary EV to function each CCS1 and NACS charging ports.
Each ports are on the suitable aspect of the car beneath the identical charging port door.
The Mercedes CLA will debut subsequent yr with totally electrical and hybrid powertrains.

Correction and replace: Mercedes-Benz officers initially advised InsideEVs and different retailers that the upcoming CLA-Class could be geared up with each CCS1 and NACS fast-charging ports. The producer has reached out to now make clear that that is incorrect.  It’s going to, in truth, function a Type1 (J1772) port for AC charging and a NACS port for DC quick charging. It is possible for you to to fast-charge from a CCS1 station through a CCS1-to-NACS adapter. The unique article follows under.

Most producers promoting electrical automobiles within the U.S. have introduced that they’ll start switching from the standard Mixed Charging System (CCS) plug to Tesla’s North American Charging Customary (NACS) plug this yr and subsequent. Tesla’s slimmer, sleeker plug sort is anticipated to change into the most typical sort of charger within the coming years, and including entry to the Tesla Supercharger community might be a godsend for American EV drivers in all places. Mercedes would be the first German automaker to take action beginning with the upcoming CLA-Class EV. However the Silver Arrow model is doing one thing very novel and fascinating right here.

Whereas in Germany at Mercedes’ Sindelfingen manufacturing facility, InsideEVs realized that it’ll truly include each NACS and CCS charging ports—a really distinctive proposition. If that’s commonplace sufficient, the 2 charging ports might be situated on the suitable aspect of the automobile, stacked one on high of the opposite beneath the identical charging port door.

Picture by: Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes not too long ago revealed a set of teaser pictures that includes a thinly veiled CLA prototype sporting revealing camouflage, which appeared to have flaps on each flanks. We thought it signaled the arrival of a plug-in hybrid variant. Nonetheless, Mercedes confirmed that the car within the teaser pictures was the EV, which solely had one charging port door on its proper flank. It’s going to solely make the pure electrical or non-plug-in hybrid CLA with a brand-new engine and hybrid system.

Picture by: Mercedes-Benz

Having the 2 commonest varieties of charging ports will tremendously enhance the CLA’s versatility, giving house owners the liberty to cost from Tesla Superchargers or any nationwide public quick charging community natively with out the necessity for an adapter. These adapters have typically confirmed problematic, and eliminating the necessity for one will lead to a greater person expertise, which is what Mercedes is banking on with the CLA.

We noticed loads of camouflaged CLA prototypes driving across the Sindelfingen manufacturing facility, and it appears like a much bigger and extra grown-up automobile than its predecessor. It’s additionally the primary to be constructed on the 800-volt Mercedes Modular Structure (MMA), which is able to spawn three extra fashions, together with a capturing brake CLA and two crossovers (one in all which is able to in all probability be a GLB-like seven-seater).

The high-voltage platform permits the CLA EV to cost at as much as 320 kilowatts, sufficient so as to add 186 miles (300 kilometers) in 10 minutes with en-route preconditioning. It’s price noting that even the most recent V4 Tesla Supercharger continues to be formally restricted to 250 kW of energy (though Tesla desires to improve it to offer over 300 kW), so you’ll probably want a 350 kW CCS station to have the ability to match the official energy declare.