While other automakers talk about charging infrastructure, Mercedes-Benz is actually building it. The German luxury brand just announced plans to install over 500 ultra-fast charging stalls across premier retail centers throughout America. Not just any chargers—these will blast up to 400 kilowatts of power into your EV. That’s seriously fast. Like, grab-a-coffee-and-your-car-is-ready fast.
Each location will feature up to 10 charging stalls, and here’s the twist—they’ll work with any EV brand. No exclusive Mercedes club here. The network will support both CCS-1 and NACS standards, covering pretty much every electric vehicle on American roads. No subscriptions required either. Just pull up and charge. Transformative concept, right?
The company partnered with Federal Realty Investment Trust to make this happen. Smart move. Instead of random roadside locations, these chargers will sit where people already spend time—shopping centers and dining areas. These chargers will complement the renewable energy growth pushing America’s power grid toward cleaner electricity sources. Key locations like Camelback Colonnade in Phoenix are among the first planned sites. The first 20 locations will kick off the network, eventually expanding to more than 50 sites.
Don’t hold your breath though. The first stations won’t operate until 2026. Patience, people. Mercedes is committing serious cash to this venture—a cool billion dollars—with plans for 2,500 chargers by 2027. That’s actual investment, not just press release fluff.
This isn’t just about Mercedes flexing its engineering muscles. It’s about addressing a real problem. Public charging infrastructure sucks right now. Tesla aside, finding reliable fast chargers is a gamble most EV owners are tired of playing.
The charging experience matters too. These stations are being designed for premium retail environments where people naturally spend time. Mercedes-Benz HPC already operates over 400 charging stalls across 14 states, showing their serious commitment to expanding EV infrastructure. No more standing around sketchy parking lots waiting for your car to charge.
For an industry full of big promises and delayed rollouts, Mercedes-Benz seems to be putting its money where its corporate mouth is. The EV charging transformation might actually be coming. Finally.
References
- https://www.evcandi.com/news/mercedes-roll-out-500-ev-chargers-federal-realty-shopping-centers
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mercedesbenz-high-power-charging-named-preferred-ev-charging-provider-for-federal-realty-302500732.html
- https://ir.federalrealty.com/news-releases/news-release-details/federal-realty-and-mercedes-benz-high-power-charging-forge
- https://theevreport.com/mercedes-benz-hpc-boosts-ev-charging-access
- https://electrifynews.com/news/ev-chargers/500-mercedes‑benz-hpc-chargers-are-coming-to-these-50-shopping-centers/
