Written by Justin P. (r8lover)
Electric cars seem to be all the rage at this time, and it seems supercar makers have decided to jump on the boat as well. Mercedes Benz is no exception to this rule with their new 2014 SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive. We've seen the SLS E-Cell concept, and like that, the Electric Drive does not look much different from the standard SLS.
The biggest differences that can be seen is the new blue, and (in my opinion) oddly styled grill. Another minimal change is the change in the badge behind the side vent. Coming around to the back, we can see that the tailpipes have been removed as well. Other than these changes though, the SLS Electric Drive retains the styling of the base SLS coupe.
Performance-wise, the electrically powered SLS pulls up to 60 in 3.9 seconds, just .3 seconds slower than the gas powered one. It will continue on to an limited top speed of 155 MPH. This performance is made possible through the 4 electric motors which total 740 HP. These figures are not just impressive for an electric car, but they also make it the fastest and most powerful electric car on the market.
To counteract the 1200 lbs of weight that are added by the batteries, Mercedes has decided to add a full carbon fiber monocoque. This gives the body a 30% weight reduction over the standard aluminum.
Very impressive performance for a purely electric car, especially one that can do 150 miles on one charge. If you want to take it back out again for a nice drive once it runs out of juice, you're going to have to wait a whopping 20 hours for it to recharge on a normal household outlet. Mercedes does plan to offer a quick charging option, but it will most likely add a several thousand dollars to the $536,000 price tag. There is no official plans to release the car in the US, but I'm assuming it is likely.
Personally, I think this is a stupid car. It's slower, more expensive, and is only a fraction as usable as the SLS AMG GT. What do you think of this car? Will it be a huge success, or a massive flop ? Leave your opinions below.
