Mercedes CLA EV is expected with charging times that outrun Model Tesla 3

Mercedes is deep into its electrification strategy with the EQ line, but we’re now learning about other EVs the automaker has planned for the coming years. Autocar recently reported that Mercedes is working on an electric version of the CLA, its smaller four-door coupe. The car is expected to arrive as an EV first before a mild-hybrid gas powertrain debuts later on.

The electric CLA will arrive first in 2025, but Mercedes will push a gas version with a mild-hybrid system in select markets a few months later. As Autocar pointed out, this likely suggests that there will be AMG variants, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Electric CLA models will get 800-volt architecture, giving them exceptional charging times with speeds of up to 350 kW. Mercedes said the system shortens times to around a half-hour for a 10-80 percent charge. Those speeds put the CLA ahead of the Tesla Model 3, its likely rival.