Ever since battery-operated electric vehicles have become mainstream, range anxiety has been the biggest hurdle for increasing adoption rates. Many companies have tried to combat this problem by introducing larger batteries and better charging technology.
However, larger batteries raise production costs and at one point, only the most expensive EVs have a battery that gives people peace of mind. With lower-end models having smaller batteries and hence lesser driving range, it becomes difficult for the middle-class to confidently buy EVs, which in turn reduces adoption rates.
So clearly, larger batteries are not the solution. So what else can we improve? Oh yes, the charging technology.
Let’s look at India for example. Currently there are over 39,000 public charging stations, but the question remains how many of them are actually operational. More than half of these are either broken or under maintenance, which means that for a country whose landmass is 3.3 million square kilometers, there are maybe only 19,000 public chargers. Even if adoption rates increased, this lack of public infrastructure would be a huge problem for any user.
Currently, the charging network, even if fully operational, requires users to charge for a long time, often ranging from 20 minutes to 2 hours on DC Fast Chargers. That is a long time to be occupying the already limited charging stations.
But hey, wait, I wouldn’t be telling you this if there was no solution.
In a game changing move, Mercedes-Benz has introduced the Experimental Charging Vehicle (ELF). Basically, the company believes that faster charging will make EV ownership a more convenient and accessible experience rather than relying on larger batteries.
According to sources, Mercedes has been testing iterations of “range-enhancing vehicle and battery management technologies”.
Larger batteries, in addition to increased cost, also take up more space, and increase the weight of the vehicle. This added weight causes more wear and tear on roadways and impact safety. No one wants to be changing their tires every 6 months — not even the most rich people. Nevermind the fact that larger batteries take even longer to charge.
Take MG Cyberster for example. It has a 77 kWh battery pack. While it has a 580 km range, it needs the extra power to accommodate the really powerful motor that it comes with. And so, the regular charging time of the MG Cyberster is 12.5 hours to go form 0-100%. Yes, more than half a day. Ofcourse, DC fast charging would take it from 10-80% in 40 minutes, but that’s still a lot.
In contrast, any ICE vehicle takes less than 5 minutes to refuel for a long journey. The difference is stark. And this is the main reason most people don’t consider EVs as a viable option.
Mercedes has recognized these limitations and their engineers are focusing on creating a system for faster charging.
ELF has two systems — MCS (Megawatt Charging System) and CCS (Combined Charging System). Heavy-duty trucks use MCS with up to 1,000 kW of charge. The test vehicle also has different charging methods via CCS. They include vehicle-to-home (V2H), vehicle-to-load (V2L), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) accessibilities.
The CCS system can reach a charging rate of up to 900 kW. That’s 100 kWh of energy in 10 minutes — enough for about 400 kilometers of range in a heavy EV. Mercedes-Benz development engineer, Malte Sievers, stated, “Now, the whole (electric vehicle) sector is very much looking at fast charging. I expect this trend to continue.”
This fast-charging breakthrough can make daily living easier for EV drivers.
Hopefully, with faster charging technology, range anxiety will be a thing of the past. Imagine if charging times come down to just 5 minutes, so many more people would actually genuinely consider buying these cars.
And if this technology becomes mainstream, then curbing pollution will be an actually feasible goal. Widespread adoption of EVs would mean fewer ICE cars on the road, and that would mean less tailpipe emission, reduced air pollution, and better health for the citizens.
What’s more is that a solar charging setup at home will further increase savings. EVs are already cheap to run, often amounting to ₹1/km. With solar charging, it will reduce even further.
ELF’s fast-charging systems are close to production-ready, and slated for upcoming Mercedes-Benz models. Reportedly, Mercedes-Benz will install a prototype at its charging stations in 2026.
