Misc Questions about the B Class Electric Drive

[hybridbear]

We currently have a Focus Electric & Fusion Energi. Our lease on the Focus Electric is up in about 12 months so we're starting to examine our options for when we turn the Focus in. We've really enjoyed our time with the Focus, but it is a little small. We have 4-5 people in our car at least twice a week and the back seat passengers are not very comfortable in the Focus.

I have a few questions that will help determine if the BCED would be a potential suitable replacement.

• I read some threads about issues with the delayed charging, has this been fixed? We would almost never want the car to charge immediately when plugging in at home.
• Does the BCED have location based charging? With the Fords we can configure charging settings specific to up to 20 locations.
• How well does the BCED preconditioning work while connected to the charger?
• Can you configure a specific preconditioning schedule for each day of the week?
• Is the BCED really as inefficient as the EPA MPGe ratings indicate? We routinely exceed the MPGe ratings in both our cars. The EPA rating in the Focus Electric is 256 Wh/mi (removing the charging loss part of the EPA rating) and we average about 248 Wh/mi year-round.
• Does the BCED have an option for push button start and doors where you never need to take the key out of your pocket?
• What all are the features of the EV cell phone app? Can you remotely lock or unlock the car? Remote start it to run the HVAC? View vehicle location? View a history of your trips & their electricity consumption? I have not been able to find much data about this functionality. I would love to see screenshots & hear about how owners are using the app & website.
• Is there DCQC capability? Is it CCS or CHAdeMO? Some articles say that there isn't and some indicate that there is...
• Does it have back up sensors?
• Is the HVB liquid cooled/heated?
• Does the BCED have memory seats?
• Does the BCED have rain-sensing wipers?

Ideally, we want a car that alleviates the weaknesses of the Focus Electric (no DCQC capability, very small back seat, no memory seats, no sunroof, no rain sensing wipers) while not giving up its strengths (quick acceleration, excellent location-based charging functionality, trip history in mobile app/web browser site, intelligent access & push button start and excellent driver feedback coaching) and offers slightly more range.

Thanks!!

 

[northernlights]

I don't think this is the car that you are looking for. It is a nice vehicle in many ways, but the integration of the electric drive is not well polished in my opinion. As per your specific questions:

I read some threads about issues with the delayed charging, has this been fixed?

To my knowledge the delayed charging is a non-existant feature. I bought a EVSE with a timer to address this shortcoming.

Does the BCED have location based charging?

No. As far as I can tell the onboard charger while powerful (10kW) has no smart features.

How well does the BCED preconditioning work while connected to the charger? Can you configure a specific preconditioning schedule for each day of the week?

I haven't had the opportunity to test this. Hopefully others can chime in.

Is the BCED really as inefficient as the EPA MPGe ratings indicate?

I consistantly do better than the EPA sticker suggests, but it is one of the less efficient EVs available. I typically get about 3.6 mpkWhr (278 Wh/mi) in warm weather without AC.

Does the BCED have an option for push button start and doors where you never need to take the key out of your pocket?

This was not available on 2014 models. I don't know if that has changed at all.

What all are the features of the EV cell phone app?

The cell phone app is garbage. There is actually one that has the generic Mercedes Benz functions, and a separate one with the functions specific to the EV. The general app allows you to unlock the doors, locate the car, and send navigation information to the car from your device. This app uses the "mbrace" connectivity service which is $20/month but new cars are being given a 3 year free trial. For the EV app you need to manually log out and log back in to get the data to update (annoying). That said, it is possible to turn on the HVAC (although I don't think you can CHANGE the HVAC settings other than to turn them on or off). You can see the state of charge and whether the car is currently charging (which is often incorrectly reported). It doesn't have any info on driving history other than a rating on how eco-friendly your driving is. There is no graph of consumption versus time, or histograms of driving behavior. You can view "location" but it isn't clear to me if that is my cell phone location or the car location, as I have only viewed it when I am physically near the car. It can send push notifications or email alerts when your charging is finished or has exceeded a threshold value, but does't have the ability to notify you when it is not charging at a certain time, or when the charge goes below a threshold (both of which I would find useful to make sure I didn't forget to plug it in, or forget that it needed to be charged)

Is there DCQC capability? Is it CCS or CHAdeMO? Some articles say that there isn't and some indicate that there is...

No quick charge of any sort. There is a company that will do an aftermarket modification to add ChAdeMO.

Does it have back up sensors?

Rear view camera is optional. Automatic parallel parking is also optional.

Does the BCED have memory seats?

Yes, three settings for passenger and driver each.

Does the BCED have rain-sensing wipers?

I though I remember seeing somewhere that it does, but since we are in the middle of a drought here in northern California, I actually haven't had an opportunity to test this in my month of ownership.

 

[GGV]

I have 2015 model

BTW, you might find it useful:
http://www.mybclasselectricdrive.com/user-manuals/

- How well does the BCED preconditioning work while connected to the charger? Can you configure a specific preconditioning schedule for each day of the week?
It's working. Preconditioning temperature and a/c mode are set inside the car. On phone app you have ability to turn it on/off immediately or at the specific time.
Preconditioning does not depend on charger connection - gets power from battery.

- Is the BCED really as inefficient as the EPA MPGe ratings indicate?
Car is heavy - with it's pluses and minuses. I am driving in Sport mode, using 1/2 battery for 50 miles round trip with occasional a/c without range extender

- Is there DCQC capability? Is it CCS or CHAdeMO? Some articles say that there isn't and some indicate that there is...
No. Just 10kW on-board charger (level 2). Maybe 2016 model will have it

- Does it have back up sensors?
Rearview camera with large display and visualization of your path. Very convenient.

- Does the BCED have an option for push button start and doors where you never need to take the key out of your pocket?
Yes. I am not taking keys from my pocket. Also, you can lock/unlock your car from phone app (Cell connection must be available, ~20 seconds delay)

- What all are the features of the EV cell phone app?
There are 3 cell phone apps
1. M-B mbrace
Basic (3 years free) Lock/unlock, locate (alarm)
Plus (3 month free). Curfew (hours), valet (fence) limit, driving journal. (I never used it)
2. my b-class @mbusa - online (browser) app
State of the charge with charge stats (power & ETA)
Driving efficiency stats
Climate control (on/off)
Inconvenient (as mentioned above)
3. 3rd party EvAccess app for Android. Same as 2 but easy to use

- Does the BCED have rain-sensing wipers?
Yes. Intermittent mode is rain sensing.

 

[hybridbear]

Thanks. It sounds like the B Class Electric Drive won't be a good fit for us. I'll still test drive one when I'm in Cali for work in a few weeks to see what it's like.

Thank you both!

 

[renault19]

I am commenting on the 2015 model, adding a few comments to what others have already said.

-Does it have back up sensors?
Yes, "Parktronic" works well. Visual and sound based. This is different from a backup camera.
Also, both left and right side mirrors tilt when backing up during parallel curb parking.
Both side mirrors dim slightly when someone follows you by night.

-Charging timer:
None on board. Get a programmable (delay timer) EVSE, like Siemens Versicharge, or one of the Jesla juice box models.

-Electronics:
Nice 8'' display. Simple interaction via button on middle armrest. Navigation system, traffic information, and maps are good. The radio and sound quality are excellent. iPhone connectivity satisfactory.
MB's iPhone app is terrible.
Blind spot assist is a nice but not mandatory feature.

-Driving and range:
I find both great. "range o meter" is conservative. See multiple other posts on this forum. Comfortable driving and good manoeuvring. I find torque and acceleration great.

-Interior:
Well finished and comfortable fully adjustable seats, armrests, doors.
Well designed storage (sun glasses, cup holders, door pouches, storage boxes under seats where your your knees go around the seat, glove compartment,
AC consumes less electricity than the interior heating or heated seats consume.
MB's adjustable "star vents".
Rear seats headrest are a pain.

-Trunk:
Adjustable level of trunk floor.
Handle and pretty light pull down of trunk rear trunk flap.
When folding down rear seats, the trunk area becomes almost flat and level with charging items from the rear.

-Noise level:
This seems to be more a poor insulation problem of the noise you hear from surrounding cars, than the "sound" made by the BCED itself. A lot of the outside noise appears to penetrate through the joints or windows on side doors. Generally sound insullation degrades as a car ages, so we'll hear/see how the BCED sounds in 3 years from now.
There were some posts on replacing the default RFTs with regular tires, improving overall comfort/noise level.

There is no moon roof or sun roof, in case this is something you want.
The BCED is an EV only. No backup gasoline engine.

The BCED is my first electric car. So I may sound more thrilled than other EV drivers. The BCED is an elegant car, MB styling and goodies.
Over the past 9 months I learned a lot more about the car by reading the electronically available manuals, search the web, look at pictures, actively read posts on this forum, than talking to any sales person at a MB dealership.

The MBUSA customer service phone line has been helpful with answering specific and direct questions. They are generally helpful and all my phone calls had a positive outcome.
They do a good job.

I am spotting more BCEDs in the SF bay area now (July 2015), than I saw in March 2015.

Good luck!

 

[madcow]

Some of the items discussed here are "options". For example:

Parktronic - front and rear parking sensors and parallel parking assist - $970
8" screen is an option that is a part of the premium package
Blind Spot Assist is an option - $550
Rearview camera is an option - $460 also available as a part of the multimedia package

Keyless-Go is a standard feature on 2015 models (allows you to lock, unlock, start without removing the key from your pocket)