- A Mercedes-Benz CLA EV prototype toppled a document set by Porsche Taycan
- Mercedes drove prototype 2,309 miles in 24 hours round Nardo check observe
- Manufacturing Mercedes CLA EV may grow to be most effective U.S.-market EV
Information are supposed to be damaged, and Mercedes-Benz has simply busted one set by Porsche.
In April, Mercedes-Benz quietly took an electrical CLA-Class prototype to the Nardo check observe with the intention of seeing what number of miles might be pushed in 24 hours. The reply ended up being 2,309 miles, which set a brand new document.
2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV prototype units distance document at Nardo
Underneath what was internally codenamed Venture N—the N stood for Nardo—the workforce took two close-to-production prototype electrical CLAs and aimed to set a document. Porsche set the earlier document of 2,128 miles again in 2019 with a Taycan.
Your complete feat took 40 charging breaks, with every break lasting about 10 minutes. The 2026 CLA can add 186 miles of vary, or about 36 kwh to its 85-kwh battery pack, in 10 minutes, in response to Mercedes, when began at a ten% state of cost. The automaker stated that 10 minutes ought to deliver the pack to 50%.
2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV prototype units distance document at Nardo
That fast charging is enabled partly by the CLA’s 800-volt electrical structure, similar to the Taycan has.
The record-setting electrical CLA began out at 100% state-of-charge and the workforce optimized the charging technique in actual time to keep in mind air temp and environmental elements comparable to wind. The workforce additionally needed to keep in mind the very fact the charger was positioned in a specific spot on the observe, so the stops have been deliberate, and the state of cost at which the automobile received plugged in was not constant.
Mercedes stated the ambient air temperature ranged from 55.4 levels Fahrenheit at night time to 84.2 levels throughout the day.
2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA EV prototype units distance document at Nardo
The automobile’s common velocity throughout the check was 96.2 mph with the automobile’s high velocity of 130 mph reached throughout the session.
The workforce consisted of six drivers and three shift modifications with the rear-wheel-drive CLA EV. A single 200-kw completely synchronous motor despatched 268 hp to the rear wheels. Its 2-speed automated transmission aided with the effectivity, in response to Mercedes.
The Porsche Taycan isn’t essentially the most environment friendly EV available on the market. That distinction is held by the Lucid Air with its 5.0 mi/kwh vary ranking. However the Taycan persistently overachieves and overdelivers above and past its EPA vary rankings in real-world driving, which might be attributed partly to its 2-speed transmission and taller cruising ratio. Ought to the manufacturing model high the Air, as Mercedes seems to assert for its prototype, it could herald a brand new effectivity king when the 2026 CLA EV arrives later in 2025.
Mercedes-Benz paid for journey and lodging together with some German pretzels for Inexperienced Automotive Studies to deliver you this firsthand report.