Mercedes me Charge: fixed prices at 300,000 charging points in Europe

It's a real nuisance for e-car drivers - the charging card, app and tariff jungle for public charging.

When you finally find a free and functioning charging station, none of the already too many maps or apps fit, or you have no information about how much the charging process will cost. It is not uncommon for the bill to come as a big surprise. Mercedes wants to remedy this situation: Mercedes me Charge offers its customers a new tariff system for around 300,000 charging points throughout Europe.

The charging network comprises over 850 charging point operators in Europe. So from June 2022, new Mercedes car buyers and existing customers will be able to choose between three different tariff models: Mercedes me Charge S, M or L. "Depending on their driving profile, customers will in future be able to choose the right tariff for them from three Mercedes me Charge tariffs and thus plan their charging costs more transparently," says a satisfied Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and responsible for Sales.

Tariffs

The S variant is for occasional chargers, i.e. those who charge mainly at home and only occasionally in public. Therefore, no monthly basic fee is due. The tariff depends on the conditions of the respective charging network operator. The rate for fast charging at IONITY fast charging points (up to 350 kW) is 0.79 euros/kilowatt hour.

With the M variant, on the other hand, the Mercedes driver charges at a fixed price, regardless of the charging network operator's tariff. This is 0.39 euros/kilowatt hour plus 0.06 euros per minute from the 180th minute for AC charging, 0.49 euros/kilowatt hour plus 0.20 euros per minute from the 60th minute for DC charging and 0.49 euros/kilowatt-hour for IONITY fast charging. The monthly basic fee is charged at 4.90 euros. This tariff variant appeals primarily to city commuters who charge publicly more often and prefer fixed and plannable costs. For new car buyers of a plug-in hybrid, the basic fee is waived in the first year.

Frequent drivers and thus frequent chargers will choose the L variant. Here, too, the customer charges at fixed prices, with a monthly basic fee of 17.90 euros. The fixed prices are 0.33 euros/kilowatt hour plus 0.06 euros per minute from the 180th minute for AC charging, 0.39 euros/kilowatt hour plus 0.20 euros per minute from the 60th minute for DC charging and 0.35 euros/kilowatt-hour for IONITY fast charging. In addition, the blocking fee is waived for AC charging between 9 pm and 8 am. The customer can therefore charge overnight at no additional cost. For new car buyers of an all-electric Mercedes EQ, the basic charge is waived for the first year; for the EQS, the charging costs at IONITY stations are included for one year from service activation.

Charging process

The Mercedes me app shows the location, availability and price of nearby charging stations. For fully electric vehicles, the sat nav provides the same information, which then uses Electric Intelligence to plan the most comfortable and time-efficient route, including charging stops. Authentication at the charging station takes place via the display in the MBUX multimedia system, the Mercedes me app, the Mercedes me Charge charging card or directly via Plug&Charge (for EQE and EQS). The charging processes are automatically debited and billed monthly.

Electricity origin

Those who care about the origin of the charged electricity will be pleased to know that Mercedes me Charge enables green charging. In this case, the energy from renewable resources is subsequently offset. The corresponding amounts of green electricity (defined by the EKOenergy eco-label) are fed into the grid after the charging process. The Mercedes me Charge charging network also includes 1,500 IONITY charging points that are powered exclusively by green electricity.