Mercedes-Benz Plans To Electrify Its Future

Once reserved for the outer edges of the automotive industry, electrification is now at the center of many automakers' strategies to evolve and stay ahead. Mercedes Benz is one of them, according to Autocar. Quite a few models in the German's lineup are driven by hybridized powertrains already, like theAMG GT 53and theGLE-Class SUVwhile Mercedes-Benz launched itsfirst all-electric SUV, the EQC, last year and the plans don't stop there. The head of R&D, Markus Schafer, says that synthetic fuels are simply not viable as a long-term option. "We have made a clear decision that our way will be electric first," he said.

While most automakers chuck millions of dollars into the research and development of new electric vehicles, some have other plans. McLaren, for example. Instead of putting its resources into electrification, it has opted instead to develop asynthetic fuel optionin an effort to keep the combustion engine alive. Still, even if that becomes a realistic alternative in the future, electric cars are here to stay, and Mercedes wants a piece of the pie. The R&D head also explained that if there were more clean energies available, then the first customers would probably be the aviation industry.