The company that invented the automobile, now known as Mercedes-Benz, has taken a pioneering role in developing electric drive systems since the early days of the automobile.
In 1902, the Daimler-Motorengesellschaft equipped a Mercedes-Simplex with a hybrid drive system, featuring a petrol engine powering electric hub motors at the front wheels via a generator. This electric drive concept entered regular production at the end of 1906 with the Daimler-Motorengesellschaft, which marketed Mercedes passenger cars, trucks, buses and fire service vehicles under the name “Mercedes Mixte”. The model range also included all-electric “Mercedes Electrique” vehicles sold in France.
By the early 1920s, the relatively low energy density of the heavy lead/acid batteries, combined with long charging times, prevented electric vehicles from competing effectively with internal combustion engine vehicles.
Approximately 40 years later, in the 1960s, Mercedes-Benz began intensive research on new solutions for emission-free driving, and has registered more than 600 patents covering battery-electric vehicles since then.
Paying homage to this history of electrification, the design of the Mercedes star on the all-new, all-electric Mercedes EQS assimilates the original star of the Daimler-Motorengesellschaft, which was registered as a trademark in 1911.
