Politicians’ electric cars – often just silly magic: environmental protection instead of personal protection

The cabinet of the new federal government had not been in office long when the Green Party announced that the newly appointed Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had switched to an electric Mercedes EQS for her company car. A few days ago, Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, followed her. He too is now on the road with an electric luxury sedan from Sindelfingen – the elegant and luxurious Mercedes EQS 580 4matic. “My new company car is a very good example of sustainable mobility, made in Baden-Württemberg’. As the first all-electric sedan from Mercedes-Benz, it sets standards in terms of efficiency and climate protection. The entire state administration is also leading the way when it comes to low-emission mobility.” , said Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann.

So far so good; But the whole truth is different, because the 522 hp Mercedes EQS is not the only vehicle that the Prime Minister travels with on a daily basis. He had previously driven the plug-in hybrid of the Mercedes S-Class, which has now been discontinued. However, like the new Mercedes EQS 580 4matic, the hybrid luxury Daimler was not armored. As Prime Minister, Winfried Kretschmann has to drive or be driven in a heavily armored limousine due to his danger level. During his term of service, he is not even allowed to drive, just like Annalena Baerbock, Olaf Scholz or other politicians from the front row. Specially trained federal and state bodyguards, who also move the vehicles, ensure their safety. And since politicians like Baerbock or Kretschmann are not allowed to drive without armor due to their high safety rating, an armored limousine is always on the move parallel to the electric luxury sedans, into which the politicians change or generally travel. In the past, Kretschmann often came to his appointments with the hybrid Mercedes S-Class and a heavily armored Audi A8 L drove behind. After all, the state father has to ensure that the corporations in his own state get their money’s worth, so to speak. The Audi A8 – both armored and unarmored – is manufactured in Neckarsulm and therefore also in the Ländle.

However, when the politicians show up for an official appointment, the vehicle is often changed a few hundred meters before the appointment – from the heavy armored limousine to the eco-friendly variant, because it is simply cleaner and therefore looks better. Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has since left office, mostly relied on an armored Audi A8 during her term in office and has remained loyal to it to date. Predecessor Gerhard Schröder mostly traveled in a heavily armored VW Phaeton. The newly elected chancellor, Olaf Scholz, does not follow the shell game tricks of his coalition partners and openly professes his new company car – a Mercedes S 680 Guard – one of the safest vehicles in the world with protection level VR10. “The S 680 Guard 4matic is one of the most customer-oriented products from Mercedes-Benz.

Because this special protection model focuses on people and their safety,” says Dirk Fetzer, Head of Product Management S-Class, “no other standard sedan fully meets the highest protection class for civilian vehicles. And at the same time, quality and durability are at series level thanks to extensive development and testing scope.” In the new S 680 Guard, the occupants sit in a cell with maximum protection, which, however, should only be noticed by experts, because from the outside the S 680 looks almost like a completely normal S At second glance, optical differences can only be seen in the centimeter-thick discs and the tires with Michelin’s Pax run-flat system.

In addition to the invisible armor elements, the transparent area of ​​the panes is an essential part of the protection concept. The material and thickness of the multi-layer disc sandwich also meet the requirements of the VR10 classification. On the inside, the panes are coated with a polycarbonate splinter guard. On request, there is a refrigerator that can be used from the interior in the 390-litre load compartment. In addition to the armored cell, there are fist-thick panes of glass and windows with a hydraulic emergency function. Other special equipment includes a fire extinguishing system and an emergency fresh air system that protects the occupants from the ingress of smoke or irritant gases and supplies them with fresh air. Since most vehicles are used by authorities, governments or royal houses, the Guard models are equipped with flashers, signaling systems or radio. So much security has its price, because the production time of the heavily armored Mercedes S-Class is 51 days.

The reason why the politicians are only too happy to show themselves in a supposed eco-mobile is obvious. But why are electric and plug-in models not or only rarely armored to retrofit companies? The reason is not only the particularly high vehicle weight, but also the construction of an electric car puts a stop to the armored versions. The axles and tires of the Mercedes S 680 Guard with a curb weight of 4.2 tons come from the previous version. The maximum payload is 660 kilograms. Protection class VR10 meets the highest ballistic test level for civilian vehicles and is not only protected against corresponding explosive charges, but also against being fired on with assault rifles using the appropriate hard-core steel ammunition. Explosive protection in the underbody would hardly be possible from below through the battery pack, and otherwise the numerous armor platings of protection level VR10 would hardly be compatible with the electric drive.

Remains the permanent resilience in a dangerous situation. Here, the S 680 Guard is driven by a 450 kW / 612 hp / 830 Nm strong V12 turbo engine to the sportiest peak performance in order to sprint out of the dangerous situation. The permanent load in a dangerous situation would significantly increase the situation for protection and accompanying persons. If you talk to bodyguards, they tend to be very reluctant to see the eco-tendencies of some politicians, because switching from one vehicle to another creates sources of danger that could otherwise be avoided.

The German head of state, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has just been confirmed in office for another five years, changes his vehicles regularly; mostly travels in an armored Mercedes S-class. His predecessors were often on the road in armored limousines from the competitor BMW. However, due to technical problems, there was no factory armored version of the current BMW seven. That will change with the new seven, which celebrates its world premiere in April and will be on the market at the end of the year. Then BMW will also have an armored luxury limousine on offer again and the Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder will no longer be traveling in an old 7 Series tank or an Audi A8 L. BMW currently only offers a medium-heavy armored version of the BMW X5 Protection in protection class VR6, which is preferably used by special police forces and the BKA. Audi recently revised its top model, the A8, and continues to offer it as the A8 L Security special-protection vehicle with a 571 hp V8 twin turbo, which is equipped with at least a 48-volt electrical system for greater efficiency. The Green Party, the car manufacturers Audi and Mercedes and the Baden-Württemberg state government did not respond to requests.