Why such a quick change of heart, though? The car giant isn't specific, but there are a few likely motivations. Competition is certainly the elephant in the room. Mercedes hasn't been shy about gunning after Tesla's upscale EV line, and it doesn't want to risk handing the market to its American rival by being overly cautious. It has to worry about its German counterparts, too. And even if there weren't any market factors at work, Mercedes still has to worry about growing widening diesel emissions scandals and increasing government pressure to reduce pollution. Simply put, the advantages of quickly embracing EVs are easily outweighing the drawbacks.