Bye-Bye To My Beloved MB B250e

[FordAnglia]

Greetings,

To move forward on our electric vehicle journey we have traded my beloved B250e.

In its place we have a gentle used Audi e-tron MY2019.

A tough decision, but Mercedes Benz of America has let us down by not producing a successor to the B Klass electric.

I doubt I'll buy another ICE vehicle, and I'm no fan of hybrids (due to the implied unreliability and over complicated and limited use of having two powertrains in one vehicle) BUT I will seek out BEVs for the future.

After a near miss in buying a Volvo XC40 (a lot of hp but a crappy interior) my wife found a 2019 e-tron. The vehicle is practically new, having only 3300 miles, and many (but not all) options. The original owners traded it for an Audi Q7 ICE vehicle as EVs charging was too difficult for them. There wasn't an MY2020, and the MY2022 is very similar. Ours has a 100kWh battery and at least 200 miles range (we charged it to 210 miles in just 41minutes this week)

We enter a world of 50kW or even 150kW charging! When COVID is over I'll be happy to charge more slowly during the day, at work on L2 (7kW) We'll also have the California HOV stickers (Blue this year and good until 2025) for solo HOV trips.

EV tech is marching forward, so I expect in two or three years from now we'll have another leap forward and even more battery range on our next BEV.

I will miss my MY2017 B250e, it was a great vehicle, and my "starter EV". It was a total blast, and totally reliable. The next owner will have a fun time!

Peter,

 

[JeffRay]

Till we meet again Peter!

Good choice that as an experience EV driver, you know your needs better than someone coming over from an ICE car. Too bad about the XC40 for you. I have yet to sit in one, let alone test drive it. As it is playing out, when its time to get my next EV (turned in my leased 2014 and 2017), there should be a couple more choices. Yeah, MB is slow on the U.S. EV front. It would have been an interesting choice for you between the EQC and the ETron.

Enjoy the ride in your new EV Peter.

 

[hallcp]

Peter, did you look at the Tesla Model Y? I test drove one and it was pretty awesome, and I presume cheaper than a new Audi. Not sure about pricing for used Audi's.

If a Mini-E ever comes to town I will want a test drive, but the range is pretty pathetic. I test drove a gas convertible Mini and was underwhelmed.

If you believe the promises, the VW ID.4 should be here in a few months. All the reviews I've read were positive except for the software being buggy. We'll see if they can fix that.

In Europe they have so many more EVs! I try to imagine my options if my 2014 B were to die today... maybe a BMW i3 just to see what it's really like? Or another used B !

C. Hall
Raleigh, NC

 

[JeffRay]

Charles, hey there. Our last man standing! Good for you. I miss my B250e. Filling up a gas tank while fast is actually slower than just plugging it in at the public parking or work and going off to do something while it charges.

Hanging around waiting for my next EV to run me over and impress me with the B250e as the benchmark for fit and finish and zippyness.

 

[FordAnglia]

Till we meet again Peter!

Indeed! I think those of us with the BEV bug will find one another down the road.

Good choice that as an experience EV driver, you know your needs better than someone coming over from an ICE car. Too bad about the XC40 for you.

I wish Volvo all the best, they just don't have an MB killer. On the other hand perhaps we're so spoiled by the B250e that its nearly impossible to step up.

It would have been an interesting choice for you between the EQC and the ETron.

Enjoy the ride in your new EV Peter.

I may have said out loud (or in print here) that the EV tech is moving so fast that the idea of keeping a BEV vehicle more than a couple of years no longer makes sense. Perhaps my next BEV will have 500 miles range? Fully charge in ten minutes or so, and have as many EVSE charging stations that there's one on every corner. Just as the USA was when we had twenty-five cents per gallon gas.

Peter,

 

[FordAnglia]

Peter, did you look at the Tesla Model Y? I test drove one and it was pretty awesome, and I presume cheaper than a new Audi. Not sure about pricing for used Audi's.

I loaned Elon Musk one thousand dollars, like a lot of people, when the Model 3 was on back order. Then I sat in one at the Tesla showroom, and quickly called it the "people's EV" (much like the VW Bug) - I wasn't impressed. Got a full refund from Elon.

I have since ridden in a few Tesla Model S and Model 3 vehicles. I even thought about a used Model S (the nicest of all Tesla cars so far) But as I get older and my knees fight back I wanted a taller roof line and SUV access. Oh, yes! The B250e was exactly that!

Where the B250e came up short was range and charging speed. It has contemporaries, BMW I3, VW eGolf, Leaf, all with similar range and AC L2 charging (the Leaf has CHAdeMO which I think can do DC 50kW)

Around here the Tesla fleet is in full force. Hard to drive one mile and not see one, or two. With the B250e I would charge at an EVSE site adjacent to a Tesla SuperCharger, All twelve stations were very busy and at peak times two or three Tesla vehicles would be waiting for an open slot. Very high turn over due to the quick 150kW power level of V3 (V1 and V2 SuperChargers share that power between two vehicles, so 75kW each)

If a Mini-E ever comes to town I will want a test drive, but the range is pretty pathetic. I test drove a gas convertible Mini and was underwhelmed.

If you believe the promises, the VW ID.4 should be here in a few months. All the reviews I've read were positive except for the software being buggy. We'll see if they can fix that.

In Europe they have so many more EVs! I try to imagine my options if my 2014 B were to die today... maybe a BMW i3 just to see what it's really like? Or another used B !

It is quite liberating to have only "one-third of range" left on the e-tron and realize that's about what the B250e had when fully charged. With the e-tron we can go much further, if necessary we can quick charge, usually in less than one hour. The e-tron is big and heavy, with a 100kW battery and a consumption of about 2mpkW (while the B250e is lighter and does about 3.3mpkW)

The B250e was well suited for my daily (pre-COVID) commute, and I enjoyed free but slow charging at the office. It was the appeal of single rider access to the HOV lanes that first got me excited about BEV options. Plus, we still have an Acura MDX ICE car for longer trips. The e-tron is so very nice we're seriously thinking of making it the primary vehicle and looking for something to replace the 2015 MDX, that has just rolled over 100k miles.

Peter,

 

[FordAnglia]

Greetings,

My B250e is now listed for sale at Audi of Palo Alto, California.

Peter,

 

[hallcp]

Yeah, I have an older back and the Model 3 was too low to the ground for me. If you had sat in a Model Y or X, they're both way higher and easier to get in and out of. But that Audi sounds like a real nice car too!

 

[JeffRay]

Went to test drive the Volvo XC40 Recharge. Like our B250e, it is quick, quiet and fun to drive. The B250e had the plus of lots of rear legroom and the minus of a small boot. The XC40 does not have the same legroom but has the small boot. I was tempted to give it a try especially with the combined $9500 tax incentive that brought the MSRP down from $56K.

In the end, not to be. Instead I went with the GLC300 as I missed out on the PHEV version, GLC350e, last year. I will just have to wait until the next generation of EVs before I jump back in.

Enjoy the ride all you B250e owners!