- The Mercedes CLA is the first EV to feature both CCS1 and NACS charging ports.
- Both ports are on the right side of the vehicle under the same charging port door.
- The Mercedes CLA will debut next year with fully electric and hybrid powertrains.
Most manufacturers selling electric vehicles in the U.S. have announced that they will begin switching from the typical Combined Charging System (CCS) plug to Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug this year and next. Tesla's slimmer, sleeker plug type is expected to become the most common type of charger in the coming years, and adding access to the Tesla Supercharger network will be a godsend for American EV drivers everywhere. Mercedes will be the first German automaker to do so starting with the upcoming CLA-Class EV. But the Silver Arrow brand is doing something very novel and interesting here.
While in Germany at Mercedes’ Sindelfingen factory, InsideEVs learned that it will actually come with both NACS and CCS charging ports—a very unique proposition. If that’s not unusual enough, the two charging ports will be located on the right side of the car, stacked one on top of the other under the same charging port door.
Mercedes recently published a set of teaser photos featuring a thinly veiled CLA prototype wearing revealing camouflage, which appeared to have flaps on both flanks. We thought it signaled the arrival of a plug-in hybrid variant. However, Mercedes confirmed that the vehicle in the teaser shots was the EV, which only had one charging port door on its right flank. It will only make the pure electric or non-plug-in hybrid CLA with a brand-new engine and hybrid system.
Having the two most common types of charging ports will greatly improve the CLA’s versatility, giving owners the freedom to charge from Tesla Superchargers or any national public fast charging network natively without the need for an adapter. These adapters have sometimes proven problematic, and eliminating the need for one will result in a better user experience, which is what Mercedes is banking on with the CLA.
Gallery: Mercedes CLA MMA Platform
We saw plenty of camouflaged CLA prototypes driving around the Sindelfingen factory, and it looks like a bigger and more grown-up car than its predecessor. It’s also the first to be built on the 800-volt Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA), which will spawn three more models, including a shooting brake CLA and two crossovers (one of which will probably be a GLB-like seven-seater).
The high-voltage platform allows the CLA EV to charge at up to 320 kilowatts, enough to add 186 miles (300 kilometers) in 10 minutes with en-route preconditioning. It’s worth noting that even the latest V4 Tesla Supercharger is still officially limited to 250 kW of power (although Tesla wants to upgrade it to provide over 300 kW), so you will likely need a 350 kW CCS station to be able to match the official power claim.
