Is Tesla better than Mercedes Benz?

In this article, we compare the American car maker Tesla against the German car maker Mercedes Benz and answer the following questions: is Tesla better than Mercedes Benz? Which is more expensive to maintain? What is the Mercedes Benz equivalent of the Tesla Model S?

Is Tesla better than Mercedes Benz?

No, Tesla is not better than Mercedes Benz. Tesla is a new car manufacturer from America that is known for its fully electric cars. Many critics have gone as far as calling Tesla a tech company instead of a Car manufacturer as the reason behind the popularity of Tesla is its auto pilot program. The auto piolet program is completely based on machine learning and Tesla is the only company in the automotive world which does not use technologies like radar or lidar.

Mercedes Benz has been manufacturing cars for a long time. The company recently changed its name to Mercedes Benz AG. the main objective of the company is to move towards sustainable vehicles and discontinue the use of internal combustion engines completely by 2050. 

Mercedes Benz cars are more luxurious and targeted toward the top end of the market. Tesla cars are not known for their luxury or premium built quality. Tesla was also under fire for making poor quality parts for its Tesla Model 3 and model Y. Mercedes Benz has years of knowledge when it comes to manufacturing the cars. Each car that rolls off the production line in the main factory of Mercedes Benz in Stuttgart, Germany is very consistent. There are no fit and finish issues like inconsistent panel gap of pitting of the paint coat. Tesla has a few production issues with inconsistent panel gaps and poor paint quality.

Although Tesla does not perfect its production techniques, what it has perfected is the cell technology used in the lithium-ion battery. Tesla cells have more energy density compared to any other car manufacturer. All the models have a more usable range even with less powerful battery packs.

The Tesla battery cells have the ability to accept charge faster. hence, if a Tesla is connected to the supercharger; the charging times are less than one hour. Mercedes Benz recently launched the Mercedes EQ sub-brand. The EQ brand will focus on making fully electric premium cars. EQ Boost and EQ power are mild hybrid systems also available in the latest Mercedes Benz models.

The following table summarises key information related to both the companies

Tesla is also into renewable energy, it has dedicated superchargers stations. Mercedes Benz has to depend on power electric companies like Inonity and design the charging port compatible with multiple different types of chargers.

Tesla uses its own type of charging port and therefore once connected to a tesla supercharger, the car can recognise it is connected to an authorised charging station. Customers don’t need to pay for charging the vehicle at a Tesla supercharging station.

Mercedes Benz mainly utilizes an AC induction motor with dedicated power electronics control units for each motor. The task of the power electronics control unit is to convert the direct current coming from the lithium-ion battery into an alternating current and vice versa.

Tesla on the other hand uses two different types of electric motors in its models, they are as follows

• Induction motor

For Tesla Model S and Model X

• Permanent magnet motor

For Model 3 and Model Y

The tesla permanent magnet motos are less expensive to manufacture and also provides more efficiency in city driving situation.

Which is more expensive to maintain?

Mercedes Benz cars are more expensive to maintain. Any internal combustion engine car has more moving parts compared to electric cars. It requires periodic maintenance and the components like brake pads and brake discs are worn or quickly compared to an electric car. 

Tesla is cheaper to maintain as there are very few moving parts. The electric motors and battery pack doesn’t need to be replaced as there is no component that can wear out. A quick visual inspection and tyre rotation are more than enough to maintain the vehicle in good health. The spare parts of Tesla cost very less availability is an issue. Mercedes Benz has authorised service centres worldwide, so even though it might be expensive to maintain the Mercedes Benz car, it is certainly not a difficult job. 

Mercedes Benz is launching fully electric cars under the EQ brand and there are prepaid service packages than can cover the cost of brake pads and brake discs for up to seven years. Star ease service packages also lock the cost of service at the time of purchasing it. Tesla on the other hand is known for providing periodic maintenance and minor repairs at customers’ houses.

What is the Mercedes Benz equivalent of the Tesla Model S?

The Mercedes Benz equivalent of the Tesla Model S is the newly launched EQS following are some of the key specifications of the two models

The Tesla Model S and the Mercedes Benz are priced very closely but the EQS is very luxurious. There are features like gesture control for opening and closing doors and a hyper screen with the ambient lighting system. Tesla Model S looks dull in front of the EQS, both the cars get a high-performance version called the Tesla Model S plaid and Mercedes Benz EQS AMG 53. There are choices for rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, based on the number of motors the range is affected.

Conclusion

Tesla is still a new car maker but the company has made great advancements in battery cell technology and autopilot drive systems. Mercedes Benz is still new when it comes to fully electric cars but the manufacturing expertise means the cars are more well built than tesla. Mercedes Benz is also present in more international markets while Tesla is still struggling to penetrate markets like Asia and south-east Asia.

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S#Production
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_EQS