Next-gen Mercedes CLA won’t work with most UK public chargers
The new Mercedes CLA EV could be incompatible with most public chargers in the UK after the firm confirmed the model did not support 400V DC charging.
The upcoming saloon, which promises almost 500 miles of range and charging at up to 320kW, is based on 800V architecture and is understood to be lacking the onboard converter required to make it compatible with 400V devices.
That means the new CLA will not work with the large number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers which operate at 400V. Newer ultra-rapid chargers which operate at 350kW or more use 800V systems to deliver their super-fast charging but older devices, even those offering up to 250kW, often use cheaper 400V technology.
There are 15,874 public chargers capable of charging at more than 50kW, according to Zapmap. Half of these are 150kW+ but it’s not clear how many of those are the latest 350kW+ devices using 800V systems and how many are the slower 400V units.
The omission was exposed on Mercedes’ German website configurator, which warned “charging at 400V charging stations is not possible”, and was confirmed to EV Powered by Mercedes UK.
A spokesperson for the brand said the move reflected the car’s cutting-edge charging system, which can add 200 miles in 10 minutes, and the rapid modernisation of the public charging network. They noted: “For the new CLA the focus is on high-power charging infrastructure, and the share of 800-volt DC fast-charging stations in the entire charging network is constantly increasing.”
They also said that the car’s onboard navigation system would only ever direct drivers to compatible charging stations and would be updated to include new locations “almost in real time”.
The decision not to include a converter is believed to be a cost-saving move, with the assumption that owners will mostly charge at home via a regular AC wallbox, and use ultra-rapid public charging more rarely.
Other EVs based on 800V architecture, such as those from Kia and Hyundai, feature an onboard DC-to-DC converter which ‘boosts’ the supply from 400V chargers, allowing the cars to work with older and slower devices.
It is believed that Mercedes will offer an optional DC-to-DC converter to customers in Norway, whose early adoption means large parts of the network still use 400V systems, but it is not clear if this will be offered to UK customers.
