Mercedes’ EV plan was floundering a few years ago. Despite dominating an electric F1 since 2014, Stuttgart was left behind by Tesla, Nissan, and others. But go back to 2022, and things are looking quite different for the Germans.
Mercedes’ new EQ series of electric automobiles comprises the mid-sized EQC SUV, the customized EQS limousine, and electric-powered AMG models. Mercedes’ newest EVs are intended from the ground up to be electric, unlike earlier EQs. SMART’s reemergence is a cooperative venture with Geely. Mercedes’ (and Affalterbach’s) future is here.
Mercedes electric cars: what’s available now?
EQ
The Mercedes EQA, an entirely electric SUV based on the GLA, follows the bigger EQC. It’s a contender to the Audi Q4 e-Tron. However, the latter has a platform explicitly intended for electric vehicles. EQA lacks this privilege.
The 66.5kWh battery gives you 250 to 264 miles, depending on the spec. Prices start at £40,000. The EQA 250 features a 187bhp engine that powers the front wheels; 0-62mph takes 8.9sec. The EQA 300 and 350 add a second motor back for four-wheel drive. The latter has 288bhp and hits 0-62mph in six seconds, but the highest speed remains 99mph.
The exterior style is a little unoriginal, but the inside is clean, contemporary, and pleasant. It’s affordable.
Mercedes EQB
The Mercedes EQB electric crossover debuted at the Shanghai auto show in April 2021. It’s expected in Europe before the end of the year. It’s the same size and design as the GLB but uses the EQA’s powerplant.
Same 66.5kWh battery pack, 260-mile range projected. At launch, the EQB 250 will have 187bhp, while the EQB 350 will have 288bhp. This model costs £50k.
Mercedes EQC
Mercedes EQC is expensive. The SUV starts at £65,720 and no longer qualifies for the government’s £2,500 plug-in car incentive, which now only applies to zero-emission cars under £35,000.
0-62mph takes 5.1 seconds courtesy of 402bhp. The 80kWh battery offers you 259 miles of range on paper, and you can charge from 10 to 80% complete in 35 minutes with a 100kW charger; the EQC maxes out at 110kW.
The EQC isn’t as bold as the Jaguar i-Pace or Tesla Model X, but it has a luxurious cabin, impressive performance, and motorway-friendly handling.
EQE
Now available
The Mercedes EQE is a four-door saloon for the next-generation E-Class and a smaller counterpart of the EQS limo.
The EQE 350 has a 90kWh battery and boasts a single engine on the back axle, providing 288bhp, and 391 lb-ft of torque, a combination that Mercedes promises will result in an impressive 410 miles of range. Merc says the EQS is the world’s most aerodynamic vehicle with a drag coefficient of 0.2, so you can guarantee the EQE is virtually as smooth.
A large, comfy automobile that’s low-key.
The EQS’ flamboyance and overkill tech offer what Mercedes does best: safety.
AMG is coming, but the EQE is already intriguing.
EQS
Now available
The Mercedes EQS electric limousine went on sale in September 2021 for just under £100,000. The rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ has 329bhp and a 453-mile range owing to a 107.8kWh battery. A later AMG version will have 700bhp.
The S-Class is recognized for its technology, and so is the EQS. Buyers can order a 1,410mm ‘Hype screen’ that spans the entire dashboard for £7,995. No typo. This will be the EV of choice for wealthy businesspeople with an eco-consciousness.
EQV
Now available
Mercedes EQV electric minivan costs start at £70,665, placing it at the ‘expensive’ end of the people-carrier/minivan range. A 100kWh battery (90kWh useable) provides 213 miles of range, and 201bhp seems like a lot for this sort of car, but it weighs 3,500kg. It’s slow.
The 45-minute charge period for a 10-80% fill-up ensures it won’t be out of operation for long. It’s designed to shuttle travelers between airport terminals and hotels—an excellent feature for any organization contemplating one.
Click here Top 10 Luxury Car Facts
Soon-to-be-available Mercedes electric cars?
EQE SUV
On sale: TBC
After debuting the EQE saloon, Mercedes-Benz is testing an SUV version of its electrified E-class.
Our spies saw the new electric crossover in AMG and regular versions in Stuttgart. It’s an EQE on stilts, although somewhat camouflaged. Mercedes also published a photo of the SUV’s new Hype screen-equipped cabin.
EQE SUV
EQS SUV delivers as promised. The limousine is 200mm higher and has additional seats.
EQS 450+, 450 4Matic, and 580 4Matic are available. It’s unclear which models will make it to the UK, although the 450+ version offers up to 410 miles on a single charge. Both 4Matics boasts 380 miles and 200kW rapid charging.
In 2022, Merc’s EQS SUV will cost roughly £120k in the UK.
EQXX
On sale: TBC
This super-efficient EV prototype was created to be as efficient as possible and highlight innovative Stuttgart EV technologies for future automobile production.
The drag coefficient is 0.18Cd, topping the 0.20 of the EQS, accomplished by the car’s design (low nose, tapering tail, smooth in between) and moveable flaps at the front and back, which protrude more at faster speeds.
The aerodynamics were also designed to cool the electrics; airflow under the car passes under a cooling plate, reducing the need for heavy fans and jackets.
Chief design officer Gorden Wagener told CAR the EQXX is a promise for what we want to provide for the C-segment, so C-Class size.’
Platform:
The new electric revolution costs money. Therefore marketers want a one-size-fits-all solution that can be customized for different models. Mercedes’ current electric-car platform is EVA2. It lies underneath the vast, elegant EQS saloon and the smaller, less luxurious EQE saloon, which has a 90mm shorter wheelbase and ten battery modules instead of 12.
EVA2 is a generation after EVA1 and EVA1.5. EVA2 was initially intended as an electric-only architecture, whereas prior versions were derived from combustion-car platforms.
Earlier electric Mercs, the GLC-based EQC, A-Class-based EQA, and B-Class-based EQB had dimensions that make sense with a massive engine up front, transmission gear, and a gasoline tank in the rear. EVA2 has batteries beneath the seats and an electric motor on each axle, with no physical connection between the front and back axles.
The upshot is a shorter, lower bonnet, which looks bizarre on the EQS compared to the S-Class, which shares the EQS’s objectives of smooth, quiet, luxury driving but not its platform. This shorter bonnet and shorter front and rear overhangs make a car’s interior roomier.
EVA2 comes in multiple sizes but isn’t stretchy or shrinkable indefinitely. The production version of the EQXX concept, an all-electric replacement for the C-Class, may be built on the MMA platform, designed for compact and mid-size electric vehicles.
AMG, Maybach?
In our transition to all-electric, we’re developing a specific electric architecture for AMG from scratch. Mercedes chief Ola Källenius mentioned this at the FT Future of the Car conference.
‘You will have a Maybach totally electric version by the middle of next year. I just off-roadbed in a G-Wagon prototype in Graz, where we produce these vehicles. Off-roading in the future is electric, and the G will be electric by 2024.’
Mercedes CEO on the future
We’re transforming. CEO Ola Källenius remarked at the FT Future of the Car conference, “We’re in the first wave of the product offensive.” We decided last year to go all-in on electric and complete the shift in this decade, with the mindset to create the market, not wait for it.
From 2025 forward, all new Mercedes-Benz architectures will be electric. By the end of the decade, we’ll be able to service markets 100% if they’re ready and do our best to prepare them.
We need lithium, nickel, and other battery ingredients for the big game of becoming electric. Accelerating electrification requires enormous investment. In addition to fixing immediate difficulties, we aim to secure our supply chain for a dominating electric future.
EQXX trickle-down
The EQXX is a one-off, hyper-efficient concept, but its technology will be used in road automobiles. It turns out the EQXX is a rolling R&D factory:
Markus Schäfer, Mercedes Group AG’s CTO and board member, said the EQXX’s technology delighted the engineers. ‘We’ll see battery and cell technology in our series production vehicles by 2024. We built our own e-motor—why? Because we had so many suggestions to increase efficiency, and many originated from the UK.’
So, the motor, battery, cell, and portion of the inverter are next-gen. Our engineers’ imaginations ran wild and created a continuous pillar-to-pillar screen, which I’ll put into serial production.