Mercedes me Charge: New tariff system tailored to need

The automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz announced the introduction of a new tariff system for the approximately 300,000 charging points in the Mercedes me Charge network in Europe starting from June 2022. In the future, there will be three new charging tariffs tailored to individual driving performance. The service grants access to more than 850 charging station operators in Europe. With the introduction of the new tariff system, customers will also have fixed prices available that apply regardless of the operator.

“Depending on their personal driving profile, customers can now choose from three Mercedes me Charge tariffs that fit them best and thus plan their charging costs more transparently,” explains Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Sales.

The Tariff S with no monthly base fee allows access to all charging points in the Mercedes me Charge network. The costs for charging depend on the conditions of the respective charging network operator. Tariff S is particularly interesting for customers who primarily charge at their own wall box at home or at their employer's and only occasionally use the public charging network. Charge M is aimed at regular chargers with a monthly base fee of 4.90 euros, focusing on city commuters. With Tariff M, all charging points can be used at a fixed price per kilowatt-hour, regardless of what the respective charging network operator otherwise charges for the kilowatt-hour. This tariff targets customers who charge more frequently on the go and prefer predictable costs for the charging process. For new car buyers of a Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid, the base fee is waived in the first year.

Tariff Charge L is aimed at long-distance drivers and frequent chargers who desire fixed costs with a base fee of 17.90 euros. Ultra-fast charging with up to 350 kW in the IONITY network is also available at favorable rates with Tariff L. In addition, in Germany, there are no additional costs in the form of a so-called “blocking fee” when charging between 9 PM and 8 AM. For new car buyers of a fully electric Mercedes-EQ, the base fee is waived in the first year, and in the case of the EQS, the charging costs at IONITY stations are included for one year from the service activation.

Green power through energy quantity balancing

The Mercedes me Charge network offers over 700,000 charging points worldwide, including around 300,000 in Europe. The app provides the exact location, current availability, and price at the selected charging station in advance. This information is also accessible via the navigation system in fully electric vehicles and is used by the Navigation with Electric Intelligence to calculate a comfortable and time-efficient route including charging stops, the manufacturer further advertises. Authentication at the charging station is done via the display in the MBUX multimedia system, the app, the in-house Charge card, or directly via Plug & Charge.

With Green Charging, green power charging is ensured throughout Europe, the USA, and Canada. The system functions through subsequent balancing with the corresponding amounts of green power fed into the grid. High-quality guarantees of origin are used, which verifiably certify the source of the energy and serve as a type of birth certificate for electricity from renewable energies, assured the provider. The green power is defined by the eco-label EKOenergy, provided by certified energy generation plants. Additionally, this creates incentives for investment in renewable energy generation plants. The network includes the 1,500 IONITY charging points, which are operated exclusively with green power.