Services and information.

What about the resale value of my electric vehicle? In terms of the battery, does a drop in output reduce the value to the extent that it's not worthwhile purchasing the vehicle in the first place?

Mercedes-Benz vehicles are known for their high resale value. This also applies to electrified vehicles. Consequently, the Mercedes-Benz Battery Certificate guarantees the performance of the lithium-ion high-voltage battery in fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. This has a positive effect on the resale value.

Lower consumption and emissions initially means that there is a positive environmental aspect. But what about recycling the battery? I'm not even supposed to put the batteries from my TV remote in the landfill bin.

In the "LiBRi" (Lithium-ion Battery Recycling Initiative) research project, Mercedes-Benz has joined forces with suppliers and disposal partners to develop innovative recycling concepts which allow high-quality recycling of valuable components or materials. To find out more about the Environmental Certificate, go to www.mercedes-benz.com and search for "life cycle".

We keep hearing about electric cars in which the batteries suddenly catch fire. Can that also happen to me in a Mercedes?

Mercedes-Benz applies the same high safety standards to its electric vehicles as is does to all of the brand's other vehicles. Thanks to the innovative ENERGY SPACE, the battery in the B-Class, to take an example, is housed in the car's underbody to protect it in the event of a crash. Our engineers have optimised and successfully tested the safety of the drive-system-related components and systems in crash tests.

Do you have something like an overall LCA for the vehicles? I'm not sure whether driving a partially electric or fully electric car is really better for the environment than, e.g. driving a BlueTEC diesel.

How green the vehicle is when in use depends very much on the customer's driving behaviour and how they recharge the vehicle. Frequent charging after short journeys (<30 km) increases the overall distance that the customer actually covers with a plug-in hybrid, for example. The electricity the vehicle is charged with also plays a significant role, i.e. is it actually being charged with "green" electricity or an energy mix?

As a rule, all public charging stations are supplied with green electricity, and it often only takes a few clicks for a household to find a green energy supplier.

I charge my vehicle while it is parked outside. How can I make sure that no one unplugs my car overnight?

The Mercedes-Benz Wallbox includes a charging cable lock, which works when the vehicle is locked. The charging cable is also locked on the vehicle side.

Roughly speaking, what are the total costs of ownership for the different drive variants in comparable models?

Anyone purchasing an electric car can expect significantly lower workshop costs for the vehicle than the owner of a petrol or diesel vehicle. And depending on the electricity tariff, the lower "refuelling costs" should not be ignored when it comes to the decision to buy. In many countries the owner will also benefit from subsidies and tax incentives or exemption from access restrictions and congestion charges.

When will Mercedes-Benz introduce inductive charging? Would I have to/be able to convert one of the current models to use inductive charging or would I need a new car for the new charging technology?

One of the next steps on the way to the perfect electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid is inductive charging of the battery, which will revolutionise charging comfort from 2017. Mercedes-Benz is currently trialling this "unplugged" future technology with the S 500 e.

Power consumption of the S-Class 500 e long version in combined test cycle: from 15.5 kWh/100 km<p>Under real driving conditions, there may be deviations from the certified standard values. The actual values are influenced by numerous individual factors, e.g. the driver's driving style, environmental conditions and the conditions of the route.</p>; combined fuel consumption: 2.8 l/100 km<p>Under real driving conditions, there may be deviations from the certified standard values. The actual values are influenced by numerous individual factors, e.g. the driver's driving style, environmental conditions and the conditions of the route.</p>; combined CO2 emissions: 65 g/km<p>The stated fuel consumption and CO2 emission values have been determined using the specified measuring procedure (§2 Nos. 5, 6, 6a "Pkw-EnVKV" [German Ordinance on Fuel Consumption Labelling for Cars] in their currently valid edition). The figures are not based on an individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the product offer; they are provided solely for purposes of comparison between different vehicle models.</p>.