Mercedes' first electric vehicle for the US is Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric

I shouldn&be imagining the sound of crickets when test-driving a brand-new Mercedes, but that&exactly what happened to me this week with the company&B-Class Electric. In this case, however, it&actually a good thing: The new US-bound EV, which should be hitting Stateside this summer for $41,450, is practically quiet enough for me to hear the nocturnal insects while driving. It¬ going to be the most stunning car on the road, but as the first full-electric vehicle from Mercedes to hit US show floors, it&got enough appeal and oomph to be worth taking a closer look at. Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric If the name sounds familiar, it&because it&based on the standard B-Class model, a compact vehicle currently featured in Europe. The Electric shares the same structural design, and is even built on the same assembly line. It&a front-wheel drive that comes equipped with a Tesla-made drivetrain and, as a result, offers 177 horsepower and plenty of torque. Muscle&great, but the B-Class Electric sadly doesn&do much to reduce range anxiety. Boasting a 28kWh battery, the car has an estimated range of 85 miles on a full charge (compared to 100 on the BMW i3 and 103 on the RAV4), but you can at least get 60 miles if you leave it on a 240v charger for two hours; a full charge takes 3.5 hours. This likely isn&enough to satisfy any road-tripper, but it&ideal if you¬ planning on leaving the city very often. As a sidenote, you won&be able to access Tesla&charging network, despite the...