This is, perhaps, the biggest news from Mercedes for the Paris Motor Show, I present you the: Mercedes SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive.
Therefore, this will be the second electric model from the German brand to receive the nickname “Electric Drive”, a designation used for all battery-powered passenger vehicles from Mercedes, AMG and Smart. I remind you that the first Mercedes model to receive this insignia was the B-Class Electric Drive, which will also be presented in Paris.
The electric SLS uses four electric motors, one on each drive wheel, thus giving all four wheels traction. To be able to accommodate this transmission system to the four-wheel drive, Mercedes had to redesign the front axle and suspension of the SLS.
The combined power of 740 hp and a maximum torque of 1,000 Nm makes it the most powerful AMG production model ever. But there is a catch, although the petrol SLS has “only” 563 hp and 650 Nm of torque, it is also lighter by around 400 kg, so the electric SLS despite being the most powerful, is not the fastest. According to the brand, the race from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 3.9 seconds and the top speed is 250 km/h.
Apparently, this electric SLS will be sold with the left-hand drive only, and should not be officially marketed outside Europe. The first units are expected to be delivered in July 2013, with prices in Germany starting at a “wreckless” €416,500, in other words, twice as expensive as the SLS AMG GT (€204,680).
Text: Tiago Luís