Mercedes to unveil all-new electric SUV concept in Paris

Mercedes-Benz will unveil an electric-powered SUV concept, which high-ranking insiders describe as its first step into an elaborate electric vehicle strategy, at the Paris motor show in October 2016.

The new concept, currently undergoing construction at Mercedes' prototype workshop on the outskirts of Stuttgart in Germany, is said to provide a clear insight into the appearance, interior appointments, technical layout and overall dimensions of the German carmaker’s first truly dedicated electric vehicle. This uniquely styled SUV will take on the Tesla Model X as well as new electric SUVs planned by Audi and Jaguar.

The new zero-emissions SUV, tentatively planned for 2019, is the first in a series of a new electric vehicles currently under development by Mercedes, which includes an advanced upmarket sedan rival to the Tesla Model S and the recently unveiled Chinese LeEco LeSee, conceived around the very latest in autonomous driving technology.

Up until now, Mercedes had based its limited number of production electric vehicles around existing models, namely the Smart Fortwo and Mercedes B-class. With the unveiling of the new SUV concept, Mercedes will make public its plans to offer alternatives to its existing range of more traditional petrol, diesel and hybrid models.

First Electric Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Launch by 2020?

The announcement from Harley-Davidson comes at a time when its rival Victory Motorcycles is also focusing on electric bikes and it has already participated in events like Isle of Man TT and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. In fact, Victory had applied to trademark the “Victory Charger” moniker hinting the fact that an electric bike is under works and could hit production soon. Victory brand purchased Brammo’s electric motorcycle business. During the acquisition it had announced that it would be building a new electric motorcycle at the company’s facilities in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Harley-Davidson officials had announced that the LiveWire wouldn’t go in production soon as the production cost for the bike comes to $50,000 (Rs 33.4 lakh) currently which is considerably higher than conventional internal combustion motorcycles.

Another bottleneck faced by the American bikemaker is the range of the battery which stands at 80km and they want to double it before the bike hits production. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire is powered by a three-phase induction motor producing 75PS of power and 71Nm of torque.