Over the past few years, famous actor and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been on a mission to address climate change and that's a big change for a guy who used to have a Hummer collection and who is credited to being partly responsible for the commercial version of the gas-guzzling monster. Thanks to Kreisel Electric and his countrymen, they have created a Mercedes-Benz G-Class G350 EV.
While Arnold was attending the Hahnenkamm ski race in Kitzbuehel, Austria, the Governor unveiled his new Mercedes-Benz G350d EV conversion. The result is a powerful, luxury SUV with 186 miles of driving range. Arnold quoted, "This amazing off-road vehicle as a clean and fast electric car? A dream has become real!"
The battery packs of the vehicle total a capacity of 80kWh that sits under the hood and in the rear where the fuel tank used to be located. It's also capable of up to 150-kW charging. The company said that it charges the batteries to 80 percent in just 25 minutes. The batteries weigh 1,124 pounds.
In addition, the vehicle weighs over 5,000 pounds and can do 0-62 mph in just 5.6 seconds. Thanks to a pair of electric motors that produces a combined 360 kW-about 482 horsepower.
However, the battery company doesn't have any plans to sell a full electric G-class to costumers. The vehicle describes as a "unique prototype" before announcing that its' already talking to partner companies about using its battery into their mass produced vehicles.
The Kreisel electric G-Class is not similar from the first electrified version of a 4x4 icon that was introduced before, but it's the most capable and well-rounded. In the past, people have seen the electric Jeep Grand Cherokee from AMP and the electric Defender from Land Rover.
The new G-Wagen prototype will be driven by Schwarzenegger around California, providing the battery company with valuable feedback for the development of electric powertrains. Like other several automakers and parts suppliers, Kreisel sees a great business opportunity as the electric car industry is growing every day and even looking beyond transportation to stationary energy storage.
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