An electrifying ride from Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz has built a beast of a car that injects desirability into electric power. Electric cars have, over the years, earned themselves a mostly boring reputation and many would hardly be considered suitable for a racetrack but Mercedes aims to change that notion with the stunning SLS SMG Electric Drive.

For a ticket price of $570,000, it offers supercar pace that is faster even than the conventional model, and it’s practically silent.

“The most powerful AMG of all time and, and correspondingly, the world’s fastest electrically powered series production vehicle,” Mercedes-Benz says of the car on its website. With a kerb weight of some 2,110kg, it certainly outweighs the manufacturer’s regular model (1,550 kg) but road testers have compared the electric version’s torque and speed to a “tsunami”.

Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of this year and the electric SLS is already attracting the attention of the UAE’s more affluent citizens. The standard, fossil fuel-burning SLS is more than quick enough for most drivers but electrification ignites it with 751hp and 1,000 Nm of torque – significantly more and sufficient to get you from zero-to-100kph in 3.9 seconds. The key to this extreme performance is the whopping, 548kg battery pack that’s used to power four motors – one for each wheel.

For now, this incredible car is available only in Europe, meaning potential owners in the UAE would have to arrange personal imports. Electric charging stations are being installed throughout the region, including one at the main bus terminal in Abu Dhabi, next to Al Wahda Mall. From flat to fully-charged requires it to be plugged into the mains for just four hours.

halsayegh@thenational.ae