October 07, 2020 – As part of its "Ambition 2039" initiative, Mercedes-Benz is working on offering a CO₂-neutral new car fleet less than 20 years from now. The company wants electrically powered cars including all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to account for more than half of its sales already by 2030. The EQS is just the forerunner of the production of a new generation of electric cars.
The new generation of electric vehicles in the luxury and executive segment is based on a custom-developed architecture, which is scalable in every aspect and can be used across model series. The wheelbase and track as well as all other system components, especially the batteries, are variable thanks to the modular design. The vehicle concept is thus optimised to meet every requirement of a future-oriented, battery-electric model family. This vehicle architecture makes it possible to build Mercedes-Benz electric cars from saloons to large SUVs.
Six new EQ models
Mercedes-Benz will introduce the all-electric architecture in 2021. At the same time, the company will continue to electrify the most successful platforms. In addition to the EQC mid-size SUV (EQC 400 4MATIC, combined power consumption: 21.3-20.2 kWh/100 km; weighted CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km)** and the all-electric EQV people carrier (EQV 300, combined power consumption: 26.4-26.3 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km)**, customers in the compact car segment can look forward to two all-electric SUVs, the EQA and EQB. Their progressive design identifies them as members of the all-electric product range. Production of the EQA will commence before the end of this year.
• The EQS is the all-electric member in the new S-Class range and arrives on the market next year.
• The EQS is the first to use the new electric architecture for electric vehicles of the luxury and executive segment at Mercedes-Benz.
• With the EQE business saloon and the SUV variants of EQS and EQE, further models based on the new architecture will follow soon.
• The development is running on schedule: at present, intensive test drives are being conducted mainly at the Test and Technology Centre in Immendingen to validate the production maturity.
• In the compact class, production of the EQA, the fully electric brother of the GLA, will start later this year, followed by the EQB in 2021.
Final spurt: the EQS on the last stages of testing
The EQS will allow customers in the luxury segment to fully benefit from all the advantages of an all-electric architecture with respect to space and design. With ranges of up to 700 km (according to WLTP), the EQS meets the requirements on a progressive saloon in the S-Class segment in this respect as well.
The EQS is currently undergoing the last tests on the way to production maturity, including at the Test and Technology Centre in Immendingen. The systematic validation of the overall vehicle serves to guarantee the high quality standards and is one of the extensive measures in the development process of every Mercedes-Benz model series. Stations include tough winter testing in Scandinavia, chassis and drivetrain tests on proving grounds, public roads and on the high-speed test track in Nardo as well as the integrated testing of the overall vehicle in the heat of Southern Europe and South Africa. Test drives are currently also being conducted in China and the USA. In the case of the EQS, special attention is paid to the electric powertrain and the battery, of course. They too are tested and approved in accordance with the strictest Mercedes-Benz standards.
"The EQS will be the S-Class of electric vehicles. That is why it is undergoing the same demanding development program as any other vehicle that has the privilege of proudly bearing the three-pointed star. In addition, there were quite a few tests specifically for electric cars that cover important development priorities such as range, charging and efficiency", says Christoph Starzynski, Vice-President Electric Vehicle Architecture at Mercedes-Benz and responsible for the EQ vehicles.
