Daimler and rival BMW, which recently launched the i3 electric vehicle, have concentrated on offering small electric vehicles aimed at city commuters rather than vehicles intended for longer journeys. Daimler makes the Smart ForTwo EV and the Mercedes-Benz B-class EV, which both use electric motors and batteries provided by Tesla, in which the German carmaker holds a 4.3 percent stake.
Tesla aims to expand its German charging network this year to allow drivers to reach destinations in half of Germany, a spokeswoman for the company said in January. Germany, Europe’s biggest car market, has set itself the ambitious target of having 1 million electric cars on its roads by 2020, but some in the industry say more should be done to attract buyers to zero-emission vehicles such as providing a cash incentive similar to those offered in other European countries including the UK and France.
