Mercedes-Benz PHEVs are the best solution for customers who don’t want the burden of range anxiety.
When it comes to innovation in the automotive space, no brand has a better track record than Mercedes-Benz. Their vehicles are the best predictor of trends in the industry – if you want to know what future automobiles will have as standard, just check what was introduced on the new S-Class and you’ll have your answer. Throughout the development of the internal combustion engine, Mercedes-Benz has always found ways to deliver more value through innovation and now that customers are beginning to understand the benefits of electrification, they have loads of solutions available. A vast majority of customers are not yet ready to go full electric, and thus the best solution is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) – and these are a class of car that Mercedes-Benz has put a lot of energy into, so to speak.

Malaysian premium car customers are no strangers to PHEV technology. It has been available locally for almost a decade now, and a sizeable proportion of sales go towards this type of propulsion solution for a good reason. It’s the best of both worlds – ultra low emissions, minimal fuel costs for daily driving, and no range anxiety. If you need to go on a long trip, treat a PHEV like a petrol vehicle and fuel up. If you have access to a charger at work or home, you could effectively remove your petrol consumption for daily drives.

In Malaysia, despite the EV tax-holiday, they have doubled down on PHEVs. There are now second-generation C 350e, E 350e and GLC 350e models available for sale in Malaysia. These cars represent a huge leap forward technologically when compared to the preceding models.

The one area where PHEVs have seen a big improvement is in charging. First generation models could only be charged over AC and had charging ports in the rear bumper. The new generation PHEVs have fast DC charging speeds and ports at the rear fenders, so a quick charge up over a lunch, dinner or even coffee is easily done. This allows the cars to be used more like EVs during daily commutes while still retaining the petrol engine for long interstate drives.

Another huge improvement is with the batteries in these vehicles. They’re now a lot more energy dense and larger too. This enables most PHEVs to be driven to the national highway speed limit in pure electric mode for a sustained duration. For customers looking for the EV experience without the burden of range anxiety, PHEVs truly are the best way forward and feel less like a compromise and more like a proper engineering solution for the shortcomings of pure electric vehicles. Our recent experience with the E 350e showed us just how an entire weekend in KL could be spent without burning petrol if we were just a little disciplined with our throttle.

However, it’s the performance that, ultimately, also plays a big part in the appeal of PHEVs. Figures have always been impressive as they have the high and instantaneous torque of electric motors paired with the high output and linear power delivery of petrol engines. The latest models go a step further in the numbers game but more work has been done to improve the synergy and transition between the two propulsion types. It’s something that needs to be experienced to be understood. A test drive can be easily arranged online or by calling or visiting your nearest Mercedes-Benz Autohaus.
