Earlier this week Mercedes-Benz HPC North America (Mercedes-Benz HPC NA), a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and MN8 Energy, launching a network of premium electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across North America, inaugurated its first Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub, located at the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz USA in Sandy Springs, Georgia. With the launch of the Mercedes-Benz Charging Network, Mercedes-Benz sets a new standard for fast, convenient, clean and reliable EV charging, while promoting EV adoption by expanding the North American public charging map for all brand of EVs. This inaugural charging hub is the first step in Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to invest over $1 billion, in a joint venture with MN8 Energy, to deliver 2,500 chargers within at least 400 charging hubs across North America by the end of the decade.
Sandy Springs, GA: North America’s First Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub
The inaugural charging hub at the Mercedes-Benz USA headquarters represents a benchmark for standalone charging hubs. Special features include:
- 400kW Chargers:Â The first chargers installed are provided by ChargePoint and are all capable of charging rates of up to 400kW, offering customers some of the fastest charging speeds in the industry.
- Open to all from day one: Drivers of EVs from any brand can charge their vehicle and enjoy a Mercedes-Benz brand commensurate experience.
- Charging lounge: Charging hub customers can enjoy a premium, clean and comfortable environment while their vehicle charges, complete with couches and lounge chairs, vending machines, refreshments, and restroom facilities.
- Solar Canopy: Provides weather cover for customers, overhead LED lighting for safety and solar panels on top to generate passive clean electricity.
- Intelligent Indicators: A pylon built to a height of 15 feet, visible from the street, indicates the status of the charging stall: in use, free or reserved.
- Accessibility: The charging hub includes one charging spot, closest to the charging lounge, designed especially for handicap accessible vehicles, as well as one uncovered, drive-through charging spot that is designed for electric vans or EVs with trailers up to 26 feet in length.
- Powered by clean energy: Through both direct and indirect means, the charging hub uses renewable energy and is carbon neutral.
A Swiftly Expanding National Network
The Mercedes-Benz Charging Network will set a new benchmark for quality and customer experience in the charging industry. With proven partners to support ambitions for industry-leading uptime and reliability, Mercedes-Benz charging hubs will offer a seamless customer experience where charging fades into the background of EV drivers’ daily lives.
“The Mercedes-Benz Charging Network expands global charging options for customers of all EV brands to promote clean, electric mobility,” said Franz Reiner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG. “In North America, our strategy is clear: focusing on where EV drivers are and where they are going to enhance the North American EV charging map while setting new standards for quality and customer experience. These efforts will pave the way for greater EV adoption here in North America and around the world.”
Key to Mercedes-Benz HPC NA’s driver value network strategy is retail integration, and recently announced agreements with Simon and Buc-ees demonstrate this strategy in action. Simon retail outlets are destinations for food, shopping and socializing located in key areas of EV saturation – where customers are – and Buc-ee’s locations are the world’s most-loved travel centers located strategically along key travel corridors and EV charging deserts – where customers are going.
In addition to today’s first Charging Hub opening, Mercedes-Benz HPC NA announced that several hubs will open at Buc-ee’s travel centers in Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia by the end of 2023, with further expansion in 2024. Charging hubs at Simon Mall locations are planned to launch in the first half of 2024, both showing the power of retail integration collaborations to facilitate a speedy network build out that has immediate customer impact.
“At the onset of MN8’s partnership with Mercedes-Benz to build an unparalleled charging experience, we shared a vision of bringing the decarbonized future faster,” said Jon Yoder, President and CEO of MN8 Energy. “The incredible speed with which we’ve made that vision a reality, demonstrated by the inauguration of the charging experience here at Mercedes-Benz USA Headquarters and the sites that will follow later this year, is a testament to the strength of our purpose and outstanding abilities of our teams.”
“With the official launch of the Mercedes-Benz Charging Network in North America, we aim to set a new standard for a quality charging experience for the entire industry,” said Andrew Cornelia, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz HPC North America LLC. “Our driver-first network will deliver some of the fastest charging speeds and will be openly accessible to all EV drivers from day one.”
Key Mercedes-Benz Charging Network Highlights:
- The Fastest Charging Network in the US: The Mercedes-Benz Charging Network will exclusively offer chargers of up to 400kW at all charging hubs. Intelligent charging management ensures swift charge times, enabling certain EVs to charge from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes, enough time to enjoy a coffee, for applicable vehicles and conditions. Additionally, the company is committed to maintaining a future-proof network that moves with the speed of change – no matter the car, hubs are built to work hand in glove with the best-in-industry charging hardware and software, featuring CCS1 and NACS connectors.
- Open Access from Day One:Â Mercedes-Benz extends its brand promise of quality and excellence to drivers of all brands of EVs with this open charging hub network, connected to and visible on all major charging hub aggregators. This is paramount to our commitment to expand the North American charging map and drive further EV adoption broadly.
- Charging that Fades into the Background:Â EV charging is what happens when you work, shop, live and play. The Mercedes-Benz Charging Network promises premium customer experiences, complete with nearby amenities to integrate charging into EV drivers’ daily lives. Exclusive charging lounges will be built at select locations, while retail integration will allow a stop at a Mercedes-Benz Charging Hub to be the backdrop to getting a coffee, checking out the latest fashions or meeting up with friends.
- Reliable Charging Ensured by Industry Leaders: By teaming up with MN8 Energy, a leading renewable energy company, Mercedes-Benz HPC NA aims to achieve industry-leading uptime. MN8’s deep experience as an owner-operator of enterprise renewable energy solutions, brings unparalleled asset-ownership expertise at the largest scale – a critical component of delivering a high-quality, reliable and premium experience to EV drivers.
- Meeting demand and pushing adoption. Mercedes-Benz HPC NA’s national network strategy is based on value for drivers, focusing on where EV drivers are and where they are going. In this way Mercedes-Benz HPC NA simultaneously promotes EV adoption in areas of saturation and fills in charging gaps along popular travel routes.
- Where Cutting-Edge Innovation Meets Exclusive Driver Perks. Mercedes-Benz Charging Hubs will offer exclusive benefits for Mercedes-Benz EV drivers. These privileges include automatic charger reservations enabled by the native Navigation with Electric Intelligence feature on Mercedes-EQ models, and the ‘Plug & Charge’ feature for users of the Mercedes me Charge app. This allows Mercedes-EQ drivers to pull up, plug in and walk away as their charging session starts, ends and processes payment without drivers having to worry about a thing. Further, drivers of model year 2024 Mercedes-EQ cars and SUVs will receive two years of unlimited complimentary charging at Mercedes-Benz charging hubs, while current drivers of Mercedes-EQ vehicles will receive six months of free charging.
A Global Commitment to Clean, Electrified Mobility
Mercedes-Benz is continuously expanding public charging offerings to customers globally. Mercedes-Benz’s collaborative initiatives to further develop EV charging around the world also include the Europe-wide fast-charging joint venture IONITY, which already comprises around 3,000 charging points, and the recently established joint venture with six other automotive OEMs to expand the North American high-power charging network. The company’s own Mercedes-Benz Charging Network consisting of branded charging hubs is the next important step in the company’s electrification strategy. Globally, the Mercedes-Benz Charging Network aims to build more than 2,000 charging hubs with over 10,000 charging points by the end of the decade in the US, Europe, China and several other markets. All of these initiatives are part of Ambition 2039, the Mercedes-Benz Group’s global commitment to create a carbon-neutral value chain by the end of the next decade.
Mercedes-Benz continues to drive its “electric only” strategy forward and commits to a future-oriented charging infrastructure by investing in a global charging network. With the development of the Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging Network in North America, Mercedes-Benz continues its bold pursuit of a carbon-neutral future for the automotive industry and the planet.
