The SLS AMG E-Cell is not the only electric car Mercedes-Benz has up its sleeve, writes JACK CARFRAE
IT’S A STRANGE sensation, clambering into a car with gullwing doors. If you’ve never heard the term, picture the DeLorean from Back to the Future – the doors hinge on the roof and rise upwards to open, so you have to duck beneath them to get in.
The SLS AMG supercar I’m sitting in is not the first car with gullwing doors Mercedes-Benz has built, though. That honour goes to its spiritual predecessor, the famous 300SL of the 1950s.
This particular SLS – known as the E-Cell – is even more special than normal. Beneath the lurid lime/yellow paintwork are four electric motors (one for each wheel) and three battery packs. It’s the first electric supercar Mercedes has built.
From the outside, there’s virtually nothing to differentiate the electric version from the standard SLS, save for a subtle E-Cell badge on the front wings.
There’s not much difference in terms of performance either. The petrol-fuelled SLS is fitted with a thirsty 571bhp 6.3-litre V8 engine and is capable of 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, while the E-Cell offers 533bhp and 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds. That’s splitting hairs in the real world.
Inside, the SLS E-Cell is equally as decadent as any top-end Mercedes. Low-slung and high-sided sports seats are wrapped in thick leather and there’s matching hide throughout. There’s little to suggest the interior is anything out of the ordinary technology-wise, save for a red emergency power cut-off switch mounted next to the passenger seat.
If you’ve ever heard a milk float, you’ll know that electric cars emit little more than a quiet hum. Equally, it’s no secret that electric vehicles have all their torque available from the off, so there’s no need to build up the revs like you would in a petrol or diesel car.
The same applies to the SLS E-Cell – it’s near silent and has an enormous amount of instant performance. I didn’t think it felt supercar-quick during my first short drive, but that’s because it was in “comfort” mode and the car’s settings are adjustable to how you want to drive it.
For my second attempt, I twisted the dial mounted on the centre console to “sport plus”, which freed up the full 533bhp, and astonishing acceleration. Though the test drive was short and on a closed test track, it was just enough to get a feel for the Merc’s laser-sharp steering and confidently-flat cornering skills.
Astonishing as the SLS E-Cell is, it isn’t confirmed for production just yet. Even if Mercedes decides to build it, such a small number will be made that only a privileged few will be able to get their hands on them. It isn’t likely to be cheap either, but it’s certainly a nod to the future of the supercar.
High-performance cars are far from the only electric vehicles that Mercedes has in the pipeline, though. The German firm has all corners of the car market covered with a fleet of alternative-fuel cars that are far closer to production than the SLS E-Cell.
The Smart Fortwo electric drive will be the first of many when it hits European showrooms in 2012. Mercedes, Smart’s parent company, has developed a universal electric drivetrain it can fit to almost any existing model, and the Fortwo city car is the first one to get it. Electric Smarts are already on trial so it’s already on the road – if not in Ireland.
The Smart has a modest 40bhp, so it’s only really fit for town driving. A full charge takes eight hours and leaves you with a range of 135km, while a shorter, three-hour charge will get you 30-40km, which should be enough to get most people to the office.
A little further along the horizon is the Mercedes A-Class E-Cell, which uses the same technology as the Smart, but it’s fitted with two batteries, so it has almost double the range at 255km.
With 95bhp, the A-Class also has more punch than the Smart and will hit 100km/h in 14 seconds. Around town, it has the edge on most conventional cars because, like the SLS, the torque kicks in immediately, so it’s very nippy. Full-scale production has yet to be confirmed, but Mercedes is now building 500 examples, each one destined for a four-year trial on the continent, so it’s a safe bet that an electric A-Class will appear in showrooms shortly after that – probably the next generation.
Last but not least is Mercedes’s B-Class F-Cell. Like its brethren, it has an electric motor, but its main source of power is a hydrogen fuel cell. This combination adds up to performance on a par with a 2-litre petrol car, as the B-Class packs a respectable 136bhp and a far more practical range of 385km. Mercedes reckons fuel consumption works out at 3.3 litres/100km, which is impressive.
The fly in the ointment is a serious lack of hydrogen filling stations, so realistically the B-Class F-Cell is a long way off. That hasn’t spoiled Merc’s plans though, as the company has said it will build 70 examples by 2012, all of which will undergo similar trials to the Smart and the A-Class.
Are these cars a sign of things to come? Probably. It may be time to buy an extra extension lead for the garage.
