upgrading the vehicle charge connector from 7.4 to 11kwh.
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No idea at all but given these cars are in some way modular one would think it possible to replace the onboard charger with the new 11kw charger, that it would be a fairly simple unhook and reinstall, and then update the software but like many thinks I suspect it may be rather expensive. Also is there a need to replace wiring between the the charger and battery? I would ask a dealer in the first instance and ask them to ask Mercedes for the technicality of it worht a try as if there is a market for such upgrade mercedes may be interersted.
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thanks for the comment. I have been asking Mercedes for several months now but as with everything they are slow to reply
This forum is relatively quiet but speak.ev has been a great source of general info for me whilst I waited for my EQC to arrive. Would recommend a look if you have the time or inclination but this long thread is there about changing an on board charger on a leaf - not not at all directly relevant but might give some ideas of the work. Some of the photos show a pretty dire condition of the car in my view lots or rusty bits, but a Leaf is not a mercedes and is a lot lot cheaper!
www.speakev.com
A guide to changing the onboard charger on the Nissan Leaf
The 1st gen Nissan Leaf has a few potential failures that often tend to the cars being disposed of. It gets parted out, but one often quite good vehicle disappears from our roads if just one expensive or difficult to get to part fails. Norwegian media have reported on it, with strong indignation...
www.speakev.com
I don't know the answer to your question, but I recall in early 2021 during the transition to newer version they were referring to that feature as "improved cooling" (or something like that). On the Aus webpage, if you found that line item as a feature on a particular car, you knew that car had the 11kW on-board charger. That makes me think it's more than just swapping the charger out for a bigger one. The 11kW charger potentially needs beefier cooling of its electronics than they shipped in the earlier versions (you might have noticed the sound of pumps and trickling water while you're charging).
You probably know this already, but just in case... even when you do have the 11kW charger you can only take advantage of it if you have 3-phase power. If you're charging at home, and your house is only single phase, it'll revert to 7.4kW. EVSEs (aka wallboxes) at commercial premises or large apartment complexes are typically 3-phase around these parts. Also a lot of the high speed DC chargers around Aus have an additional 3-phase type2 EVSEs alongside as a backup to the DC charger being out of order or in use, so having the 11kW onboard charger is an advantage there too.
One final tip: if you find you are stuck with the 7kW charger and you plan to use untethered type2 EVSEs away from home, consider upgrading the supplied type2 cable they included in the boot. Most of us have found they shipped 20A cables (check the label on the plug handle), which is a good match for the 11kW cars, but with your car you'll find you only get 4.6kW through that cable (more on that in this thread)
You probably know this already, but just in case... even when you do have the 11kW charger you can only take advantage of it if you have 3-phase power. If you're charging at home, and your house is only single phase, it'll revert to 7.4kW. EVSEs (aka wallboxes) at commercial premises or large apartment complexes are typically 3-phase around these parts. Also a lot of the high speed DC chargers around Aus have an additional 3-phase type2 EVSEs alongside as a backup to the DC charger being out of order or in use, so having the 11kW onboard charger is an advantage there too.
One final tip: if you find you are stuck with the 7kW charger and you plan to use untethered type2 EVSEs away from home, consider upgrading the supplied type2 cable they included in the boot. Most of us have found they shipped 20A cables (check the label on the plug handle), which is a good match for the 11kW cars, but with your car you'll find you only get 4.6kW through that cable (more on that in this thread)
Excellent points raised by dBC. It would likely be pricey, as Parkwood suspects. Upgrading entire car may be the best solution if higher kwh needed.
I have read about Smart EQ models being upgraded for about 7000 sterling worth of new parts to 22kwh by enthusiastic independents who were fortunate to be able to get the parts and just as importantly to unlock their capability to "talk" to each other, though they used parts pulled from other (crashed?) Smart EQ cars to lower cost. As the process is described as "exhausting", there would be thousands of labour cost added to those parts cost. And that labour might not all be just the dealer plugging in new modules and wires, but also consultancy work by high-level engineers in Mercedes going through all the technicalities. Perhaps even European legal regulators would need be consulted?
For a more definite answer, it might be worth asking in the Mercedes app. You can ask any question in the help section and a formal ticket will be raised.
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