Daimler Launches Electric Vehicle Driving Courses

Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler AG is co-launching electric vehicle (EV) driving courses at ACADEMY driving schools in Stuttgart, Germany, the company said.

The initiative, sponsored by Daimler and ACADEMY Holding AG, was designed to "prepares novice drivers for a future of electric mobility," the auto maker said. Beginning this month, the five driving schools in the greater Stuttgart area "will be offering learner drivers a simple and timely introduction to today's world of locally emission-free mobility," Daimler said in a statement .

Students will begin their instruction in EVs, but will also be taught to drive gas-powered cars with manual transmissions, so that by the end of their training, they'll be qualified to test for Germany's full Class B or BF17 passenger car driving licenses, as well as an eDriverLicense.

After passing the eDriverLicense exam, students over the age of 18 qualify for Daimler's car2go, a carsharing service in Europe and North America which rents the automaker's Smart Fortwo city cars by the minute, hour, or day. Students who attend ACADEMY schools in the pilot program will also get 100 free minutes of car2go service after gaining an eDriverLicense.

The program is also offering an EV instruction course for drivers who already have licenses but want to add an eDriverLicence. They'll get 100 free minutes of car2go service as well.

Intended to "generate enthusiasm for electric mobility, particularly among young people," the pilot program "tackles every aspect of electric mobility, focusing as it does on gaining familiarity and experience, as well as on the correct way to handle and work with alternative drive systems," Daimler said.

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"The theoretical elements relating to alternative drive systems and mobility concepts will be integrated as a double lesson into the theory training and will cover the principles of alternatively powered vehicles as well as information about mobility services," the automaker said. "Issues such as charging time, range, acceleration characteristics, recuperation and the awareness of the silent electric vehicles for other road users' will be addressed here.

Daimler is supplying ten training vehicles for the program—one electric Smart Fortwo and one electric Mercedes-Benz B-Class per participating ACADEMY school, which have also added quick charging stations to their facilities.