Summary
Mercedes-Benz has introduced two home-charging services in Germany that schedule electric-vehicle charging around Day-Ahead electricity prices and expected renewable-energy availability. One service works with an existing dynamic tariff, while the other includes a tariff from The Mobility House Energy and rewards eligible smart-charging sessions.
Mercedes-Benz has introduced two home-charging services for its electric cars and plug-in hybrids in Germany: MB.CHARGE Home Dynamic and MB.CHARGE Home Intelligent. Both connect a compatible vehicle with a suitable wallbox and use the driver's departure time and desired battery charge level to plan when charging should take place.
The company says the services can help reduce charging costs by shifting consumption towards periods with lower electricity prices and an expected higher share of renewable power. The offers are initially available for selected Mercedes-Benz models in Germany.
Two approaches to scheduled home charging
MB.CHARGE Home Dynamic uses Day-Ahead electricity-market prices to identify cheaper charging periods for the following day. Customers set a departure time and target state of charge in the Mercedes-Benz app, after which the system schedules the charging session automatically.
The service does not require a direct connection to a particular electricity supplier or a change of tariff. Its financial benefit is most direct for customers who already have a dynamic electricity tariff, because the household's price can then reflect changes in the electricity market. With a fixed tariff, the system can still automate the timing of charging, but the scheduled wholesale-market price is not automatically the household's retail price.
MB.CHARGE Home Intelligent combines scheduled charging with the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Öko Tarif supplied by The Mobility House Energy. The offer includes a fixed electricity tariff and bonus payments for participating in intelligent charging. Mercedes-Benz says an algorithm prioritises periods when cheaper renewable electricity is expected to be available, while ensuring that the vehicle reaches the requested charge level by the selected departure time.
Each kilowatt-hour charged through a smart-charging session is currently rewarded with 10 euro cents. The resulting bonus points are shown in the app and automatically offset against the customer's monthly electricity bill. The first 1,000 customers who sign up for MB.CHARGE Home Intelligent also receive €80 of charging credit for public charging through MB.CHARGE Public, subject to the stated account and contract requirements.
Vehicles, wallboxes and conditions
Both services require a compatible Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid, a compatible wallbox, the Mercedes-Benz app and a Mercedes me ID linked to the vehicle. MB.CHARGE Home Intelligent additionally requires the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Öko Tarif, a smart meter, a linked electricity contract and consent to data sharing between The Mobility House Energy and Mercedes-Benz.
The services are initially supported by plug-in hybrids based on Mercedes-Benz Operating System MB.OS 0.7 or later, including the latest generations of the S-Class, GLE and C-Class. Supported fully electric models listed by Mercedes-Benz include the updated EQS and the CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, GLB, GLA, GLC, VLE, C-Class and Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé. The company says more models will be integrated progressively.
The charging setup is intended for compatible AC wallboxes, such as the Mercedes-Benz AC Wallbox or Flexible Charging System Pro, using the vehicle's conventional PWM charging signal. Wallboxes that use ISO 15118 communication between the vehicle and wallbox—for example, for Plug & Charge—are currently not supported.
The cost outcome will depend on the applicable electricity tariff, the timing and amount of charging, and the conditions of the digital service. The release does not provide a schedule for the addition of further vehicle models. At launch, the offer is limited to selected vehicles and customers in Germany.