Panic over! New Mercedes CLA will be capable of use UK quick chargers… however not till 2026

We have been stunned to say the least when the new Mercedes CLA arrived earlier this yr and not using a 400-volt DC converter, making it incompatible with nearly all of UK public electric car charging stations. Mercedes has since back-tracked on this by including a 400-volt converter to its compact electrical saloon – however it received’t be out there till Spring subsequent yr. 

On high of the prolonged wait, Mercedes received’t be capable of retro-fit the converter to present CLAs both, with the replace solely coming to “orders as of Spring 2026”, in response to the corporate’s on-line configurator. It’s additionally unclear if the converter shall be made normal or be supplied as an elective additional on the CLA, which begins at £40,421 in entry-level 250+ guise.

In the event you can’t wait, you’ll be able to the most effective costs on present new and used Mercedes CLAs through Auto Express’s marketplace, the place you can too sell your existing car.

The CLA is obtainable in each hybrid and fully-electric types, with the latter sitting on bespoke 800-volt EV underpinnings. Whereas older EVs utilizing 400-volt tech can plug in and use most electric car chargers with no challenge, these with 800-volt structure should incorporate a converter to regulate the voltage of the incoming electrical energy so it matches the automobile’s battery and different techniques.

With out the converter, the CLA shall be blocked from most of the 14,000 public fast chargers within the UK. Newer, sooner, 800-volt EV chargers are starting to crop up throughout Europe, however there are solely a restricted variety of these right here within the UK, with most chargers utilizing 400-volt tech. The CLA did, nonetheless, launch with a 400-volt converter within the Norwegian market. 

There is no such thing as a official line on why Mercedes determined to initially ditch a 400-volt converter for the brand new CLA, however cost-cutting might have been in charge. A Mercedes spokesperson informed Auto Specific that for the CLA, “the main focus is on high-power charging infrastructure, and the share of 800-volt DC fast-charging stations in the whole charging community is consistently growing”. 

The brand new child electrical Merc will be capable of direct drivers to suitable chargers by way of the sat-nav; offering you all the time log your cost stops by way of the automobile’s mapping, you’ll by no means unknowingly arrive at a charger you’ll be able to’t use.

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