All along, Mercedes Benz has been saying their B-Class Electric Drive battery pack has a capacity of 28 kWh. Since the B-Class EV weighs in around 3900 pounds, all the best estimates put the usable amount around 25 kWh, resulting in an electric range at around 80 miles.
At the New York Auto Show this past week, however, Tom Moloughney (you likely recognize his name from his involvement and coverage of the BMW i3, and he also reports on InsideEVs periodically) was able to talk with a Mercedes representative and he learned that the 28 kWh rating is not the total battery pack capacity – it’s the usable energy!