Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI) focuses on innovating and accelerating the future of sustainable mobility

With the Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution, underway, manufacturing companies are ramping up around the world. However, the charging infrastructure globally is still at a nascent stage. As we change over to greener modes of transport, it is critical to support the migration of fuel vehicle users to first-generation EV customers by addressing the critical challenges of charging infrastructure in their respective geographies. 

The Problem Statement: There is a clear mindset shift required for the fuel vehicle consumer to convert into an EV consumer. The first-generation EV customer is anxious about many aspects related to charging stations, availability of chargers as per the requirement, the charger compatibility, improper charging location, etc.

The Challenge: The main challenge for EVs is the charging infrastructure of their respective country.  Moreover, the existing charging ecosystem is not standardized as different cars have different connectors, which automatically reduces the number of charging stations available for any customer. 

The Solution: The strong collaboration and support from the German HQ colleagues enabled us to offer a unique solution – ‘Mercedes Me Charge’, a customer-specific application that helps dispel battery-related anxiety while on roads. With this innovation, MBRDI made an impact in the landscape of the automotive industry with a simple purpose and highly intelligent software to ensure its new customers have the best-in-class driving experience.

The Key Benefits: The MBRDI Team introduced a fantastic feature called ‘EQ Optimized Route’ designed specifically for its brand new EV customers. This unique feature helps the consumer to arrive at the desired destination effortlessly avoiding battery-related anxiety throughout their journey.  The feature notifies the consumer of the shortest route calculating the remaining battery percentile and other parameters such as: 

1. Weather conditions on the route selected
2. The traffic condition of the route
3. Estimating the arrival time including the amount of deviation required for charging
4. The specific type of charger availability according to the consumer’s car

The team has gone the extra mile in ensuring this feature evaluates the toll information and the availability of charging stations according to the countries that follow left/right-hand traffic rules. All it would take for them is to click on a button to unlock the station and plug in the vehicle to start charging!

Initially designed for European markets, this service is now available in America, Canada, Thailand, Japan, and Korea too. One of the customers using the application said, “The ability to locate nearest charging stations and also automatic lock and unlock system which is handy at any given point of time are the features that cannot be missed. It is just a proud feeling to own a machine like this.”