Thread by @christiaanhtznr

.@Daimler says @MercedesBenz passenger cars will go all electric by the end of the decade "where market conditions allow". #ElectricVehicles #BEVs

"To facilitate this shift, Mercedes-Benz is unveiling a comprehensive plan which includes significantly accelerating R&D. In total, investments into battery electric vehicles between 2022 and 2030 will amount to over €40 billion," it says in a statement. #MercedesBenz

In 2025, @Mercedes-Benz will launch three electric-only architectures led by MB.EA. This platform will cover all medium to large size passenger cars, establishing a scalable modular system as the electric backbone for the future EV portfolio.

In addition to an electric platform for vans and light commercial vehicles, it also announces a dedicated performance platform for its @MercedesAMG customers called AMG.EA.

As a result of investment plans and current trends, @MercedesBenz now expects up to 50 percent of its sales will be plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles by 2025, up from a previous assumption of 25 percent. #xEVs

.@MercedesBenz says will need a battery cell capacity of more than 200 Gigawatt hours and plans to set up eight #Gigafactories for producing cells together with partners around the world.

.@Daimler says developing the @MercedesBenz #VisionEQXX with a real world range of more than 1,000 km and targeting a single-digit consumption figure for kilowatt hours per 100 km (over 6 miles per Kwh) at normal highway driving speeds. The concept's unveiling is slated for 2022.

Unclear from presentation (for me at least) whether this #VisionEQXX is supposed to go into production, or from what it sounds, the technology developed will simply be rolled out and incorporated in existing models.

Because variable costs of BEV models won't drop to those of ICE models until the end of the decade, @Daimler CFO Wilhelm says cuts in fixed costs and a "radical reduction" in non-BEV investments will have to compensate to protect margins.

.@Daimler CEO Källenius says @MercedesBenz is effectively killing off its independent dealer model, switching market by market to direct sales where entrepreneurs become "agents" and entrepreneurial risks switch to the carmaker - at least wherever this isn't illegal (e.g. USA).

.@Daimler CEO Källenius says certain battery-powered @MercedesBenz cars will use cheaper lithium iron phosphate (#LFP) chemistry often found in China, adding — presumably to take the sting out of it — they would be "next generation LFP 2.0" cells.

.@Daimler's Källenius says investments in charging infrastructure will mainly be back end, with companies like @Shell bearing the cost of the investment in the charging stations (unlike with $TSLA's more vertically integrated approach).

Asked about the variable cost comparison between BEV and ICE vehicles, @Daimler's CFO warns analysts to drill deeper into assumptions behind rivals' claims of margin parity. This is likely due to generous estimates forecasting a steeper rising cost curve for ICEs (regulations).

The eight gigafactories that @MercedesBenz plans will all be situated near its assembly plants, with four to be located in Europe, three (!) in Asia and only one in the U.S., presumably near Tuscaloosa, Alabama.