Plug-in hybrids nowdays Europe mein most fast growing EV options mein se ek ban gaye hai. Aur reason bhi solid hai. Kaafi log abhi bhi sirf charging plug pe depend karke travel nahi karna chahte, ya phir kar hi nahi sakte.
Manufacturers PHEVs ko ek efficient or enviornment friendly solution ke name par market karte hai, but inka ek thoda naughty, bold or adventurous side bhi hota hai. Plug in hybrids wahan tak ja sakte hai jahan normal internal combustion engine wali cars nahi reach kar pati.
Mercedes jaise manufacturers electrified systems sirf emissions reduce karne ke liye nahi use karte, performance boost karne ke liye bhi karte hai. Electricity easily available hoti hai, or jab ise petrol engine ke saath combine kar dete hai, toh practically koi limits nahi rehti. Isi technology ki wajah se ab hum ek aise era mein reh rahe hai jahan high performance normal si baat ho gayi hai, itni power jo pehle sirf world ki most extreme supercars ya motorsport tak limited hoti thi.
Nowdays, 300, 400 ya even 500 horsepower wali car dekhna it's not a big thing. Electric car ko super powerful banana toh kaafi easy ho gaya hai. Aur agar, jaise hum pehle bol chuke hai, usme ek petrol engine bhi add kar do, so combo literally explosive ho jata hai.
Both worlds ka best mix, bilkul waise hi jaise Mercedes AMG C63 SE performance 4 MATIC Estate show karti hai. Name thoda long or grand hai , but specs bhi utne hi crazy hai, 680 horsepower or 1,020 Nm torque.
Main admit karta hoon ki pehle aise figures sirf bahut hi special cars mein dekhne ko milte the, but ab aisa nahi hai. Mercedes ke engineers ne Formula 1 ki technology ko borrow karke, apne according understand karke, ek road car mein laga diya hai. Actually sirf ek car mein nahi, entire range mein, because E performance lineup mein Mercedes AMG GT sedan or Mercedes AMG S-Class jaise models bhi aate hai.
All E performance models same hybrid system use karte hai, but C-Class Estate mein ek unique difference hai jo other cars se differentiate karta hai.
But us difference pe jaane se pehle, main aapko Mercedes ki E Performance technology explain kar deta hoon. Paper pe dekho toh ye high performance plug-in hybrid lagti hai. Par yahan theory or reality mein kaafi big difference hai.
Electric or combustion (petrol engine) both components bilkul smoothly saath work karte hai, but iska powertrain kisi bhi normal PHEV jaisa nahi hai. Is case mein Mercedes ek high voltage battery use karti hai jo specially aggressive charge or discharge cycles ke liye design ki gayi hai. Matlab kya?
Other plug in hybrids se very different, Mercedes ke E performance models electric power ko kaafi aggressively use karte hai, without any regard for efficiency. Battery ka drain kaafi extreme level ka hota hai.
Specifically C63 S ki baat karein toh iski net battery capacity sirf 4.8 kWh hai. Plug-in hybrid ke liye ye kaafi low hai. Ek normal pulg-in hybrid C-Class Estate mein isse around 6 times zyada battery capacity milti hai. So phir aisa kyun?
Ye battery fuel save karne ke liye design nahi ki gayi hai, rather horsepower increase karne ke liye hai. Iska clear proof milta hai electric range se, sirf 11 kilometer (WLTP cycle). Ek normal C300 e Estate PHEV isse 10 times zyada range deti hai.
Or ek or weird things is despite the hybrid or plug-in, AMG tuned C-Class ko ZERO emissions lable nahi, sirf ECO label mila hai.
Is car mein kaafi things logically sense nahi banati, but phir kisi tarah sab kuch kaam karta hai.
System aise configure kiya gaya hai ki battery kabhi khatam na ho. Isko is tarah design kiya gaya hai ki every situation mein jo 680 horsepower specs mein diya gaya hai, wo hamesha deliver kare.
Agar kabhi unlikely case mein battery ke electrons drop ho jaate hai, then car immediately recharge karna start kar deti hai. Kaise? well petrol engine ke through.
Us time pe combustion engine ek saath generator ka bhi kaam karta hai or car ko chalane ka bhi. That's the reason fuel consumption thoda zyada ho jaata hai, because engine ek hi time par do kaam kar raha hota hai.
But honestly, mujhe lagta hai ye figure bilkul insignificant hai, because hum ek aisi car ki baat kar rahe hai jo at least €158,000 ki aati hai. Iske potential customers ko petrol ke price se ya phir kitna zyada ya less fuel leti hai, usse zyada farq nahi padta.
Unhe bas ye chahiye hota hai ki unke paas ek exclusive, well made or super fast product ho.
Most radical C-Class apne all purposes perfectly fulfill karti hai, yeh na toh roads par zyada seen hoti hai or na hi social media par. Why? because jaise maine pehle bola tha, ismein bahut enormous qualities hai, par ek hi big or thodi regrettable flaw hai jiski wajah se Mercedes ko apni strategy change karni padi: internal combustion engine.
Exclusivity ka game thoda different level ka hota hai, yahan har small detail matter karti hai, even cylinders ke numbers bhi.
Jab tak new C 63 launch nahi hui thi, usse pehle wali entire generations mein ek powerful, big displacement wala V8 engine aata tha. Wahi type ki cars hai jo aap road pe dekhte ho or social media pe har jagah viral hoti rehti hai.
But current model thoda different hai. Power or aggression ke case mein whether sabse zyada ho, par ismein ek simple sa or honestly thoda disappointing turbocharged 2.0 liter four cylinder engine diya gaya hai.
Matlab same engine jo aap Mercedes Benz A-Class mein bhi dekh loge. Obviously, exclusivity ke level pe ye customers ki expectations se kaafi kam lagta hai.
See, kisi bhi situation mein four cylinder engine ko exclusivity ka symbol nahi kaha jaata, especially jab car ki price €158,000 se less na ho. Isi wajah se CE-Class Performance bilkul sales flop ho gayi. Customers ka backlash itna strong tha ki Mercedes ko apni mistake acknowledge karni padi or direction change karna pada. Ab future generations mein world ka most powerful inline four engine nahi aayega. Uski jagah ek more powerful or solid engine aayega, same waise hi jaise uske direct rival BMW M3 Touring mein diya gaya hai.
First thing first, unhone apni mechanical choices mein mistake kar di. Unko laga ki customers sirf high power dekh ke satisfy ha jayenge, engine bay pe attention nahi denge, or yahi unki biggest mistake thi.
Second problem ye hui ki BMW ne first time M3 Touring launch kar di. proper M3, turbocharged inline-six engine ke saath. Koi electric gimmicks nahi, koi fancy features ka overload nahi. Ek pure six cylinder jo 180 horsepower low hone ke baad bhi market mein kaafi zyada sell hua.
Mercedes ka problem sirf sales tak limited nahi hai, image bhi matter karti hai. Nowdays streets pe, social media pe, or even teenageers ke notebooks pe bhi, BMW M3 Touring hi shaded hai.
Other side, C63 SE Performance 4MATIC Estate dealerships mein bas showpiece ki tarah hai, kisi unsuspecting customer ka wait kar rahi ho jo by mistake showroom mein aaye.
Lesson simple hai: exclusivity or high performance ka jo craze hai, wo emissions ya electrification ke rules se kahin zyada powerful hota hai.
Millionaires ko electric ya plug-in hybrid cars ke baare mein sunna pasand nahi hai, at least kuch specific models mein toh bilkul nahi. Mercedes ne bhi ab rethink kiya hai, or future mein humein AMG tuned C-Class itne small engine ke saath dekhne ko nahi milegi.
New engine full speed pe develop ho rahe hai. Germans is car ki wo old glory wapas laane wale hai jo isko milni chahiye, is baar ek kaafi massive engine ke saath, European emission rules se unafraid hue.
And by the way, millionaires ko thoda extra money spend karne mein koi problem nahi hoti emissions offset karne ke liye. Wo millionaires hi toh hai, afford kar sakte hai.