The new Mercedes ELF 2026 concept is not just another prototype but also a full-fledged test bed for testing extremely fast and powerful charging capabilities. The name stands for Experimental Charging Vehicle and its main purpose is to test the limits of modern electric vehicle electrical systems.
The project based on the V-Class will soon appear on the US market. The ELF's main innovation is its dual charging system: a standard CCS connector and an industrial MCS connector designed for megawatt power. According to Mercedes, this minivan is capable of receiving up to 900 kW of power, allowing 100 kWh of battery capacity to be added in just 10 minutes without overheating the system.
The manufacturer emphasized that charging speed will be key to the mass transition to electric vehicles. ELF is designed to test not only batteries but also cables, connectors and cooling systems. The experiments used an Alpitronic station generating 850 kW at 1000 amps – this is enough to increase the operating range up to 400 km in 5 minutes. It is noteworthy that the technologies used in the ELF were originally developed for heavy trucks.
Another feature of this concept is two-way charging. A minivan is not only capable of receiving energy, but it can also transmit it: powering a house, the power grid or external devices. This is an important step towards creating a sustainable energy ecosystem. In addition, the ELF supports 11 kW inductive (wireless) charging, which allows you to evaluate the convenience and effectiveness of this method in real conditions.
Mercedes is also looking at robotic solutions for automated charging – particularly suitable for taxis and corporate fleets. Despite the technical difficulties and high infrastructure costs, the company is confident that the technologies tested at ELF are close to commercial deployment and will help make future electric vehicles more convenient and affordable.
