So, remember that failed electric sports car that Mercedes tried to make happen back in 2013? You know; the one that started out as the SLS AMG E-Cell in 2011 and became a “production” model with the name SLS AMG Electric Drive. Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t know what it was, considering not even 100 examples were sold when it went on sale. That was back just a few years ago when the four-motor car was good for all of about 160 miles on a full charge – not even enough to have a full day at the track or a nice Sunday drive. So why was Mercedes just caught testing one on public roads again? It was even caked with all kinds of testing equipment. Clearly, Mercedes has something new in the works. The question is: What?

Well, we have a feeling that Mercedes-AMG could be planning to bring an all-electric AMG GT to market before it signs the death warrant on the current generation. The current model is set to run to at least 2020, and if Mercedes plays its cards right, it could have an electric model on the market yet again by 2019. Whether or not it would perform any better sales-wise is a completely different story, but when you take into considering the fact that electric cars are more common now, battery technology is better, and new material can make cars lighter than before, a 250-mile all-electric GT is entirely feasible.

If this is actually the case, Mercedes could have retrofit an advanced, lightweight battery and lighter, more powerful motors into one of its old prototypes and is actually putting it through the paces to see if the technology can hold up to a beating. After all, a car like the AMG GT is meant to be driven, and hard, so if a second run at having an electric sports car is going to work, Mercedes needs to deliver something that can overshadow the best it’s got at this point in the GT lineup. The real question is whether or not an electric GT can actually be successful. After all, less than 100 of the SLS AMG Electric Drive were sold, so perhaps the truth is that we don’t want electric sports cars and maybe Mercedes should quit trying to make it a thing.

Don’t get me wrong, the SLS AMG Electric Drive was a cool car, but it was a little ahead of its time. Sure, it’s only been four years, but back then range anxiety was a very real thing. Four years ago, 160 miles – especially in a sports car (yes, I know it worked for the Nissan Leaf) – just didn’t cut the mustard. It may work for someone who wants to commute back and forth to work each day, but if you want a fun-filled day at the track or to hit the highway for hours at end, you better drive something with a gas tank. Besides, the SLS AMG Electric Drive wasn’t exactly your daily driver. I mean it could have been if you didn’t drive far and all, but it’s got more of that “toy” status than it is something that you drive to work each day.

As of now, however, battery-powered vehicles have become a little more normal. And, getting 300 to 400 miles out of a battery isn’t exactly unheard of. There’s plenty of performance to be had from electric motors too. So, if Mercedes is really planning an all-electric AMG GT, you can expect to see it in the next year or so as it will debut before the brand ends the GT’s current generation. Expect to see it blow the old Electric Drive out of the water as Mercedes knows it needs to up its game if a new electric sports car is going to be any more successful than the last failed attempt.

What do you guys think Mercedes is up to? Are they planning something, or is some engineer really bored and trying to win a bet? Let us know in the comments section below.

References

Mercedes SLS AMG

Read our full review on the 2013 Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell

Read our full review on the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive.