Electric Mercedes-Benz: the first one to plug in is the EQC
Mercedes EQC: the first full production EV from Daimler
Mercedes-Benz EQV: an electric V-Class is coming
► Electric Mercedes cars and Project EQ► The current Mercedes electric car line-up
► What you can buy today, and what’s coming soon
Rewind things back a few years and Mercedes EV strategy was all at sea. Despite dominating a new electrified F1 since 2014, Stuttgart – like its German counterparts – had been left in the dust by new bespoke products from Tesla, Nissan and others. But skip back to 2022 and things are looking very different.
Mercedes’ new range of electric cars – christened EQ – is growing every month: it started with the mid-sized EQC SUV, but it now includes everything from the bespoke EQS limousine to electric-powered AMG models. And unlike those early EQs which simply swapped out ICE for EV, Mercedes’ latest EVs are designed from the ground up to go electric. There’s also the reemergence of the SMART sub-brand, though that’s now a joint partnership with Geely. Either way, the future for Mercedes (and Affalterbach) has arrived.
What’s a platform?
The new electric revolution costs money, and that means brands are looking to funnel their R&D cash into a one-size-fits-all solution that can be adapted for various models. EVA2 is the current version of Mercedes’s bespoke electric-car underpinnings. It’s what sits beneath the big, luxurious EQS saloon and the slightly smaller, slightly less luxurious EQE saloon, which has a wheelbase 90mm shorter than the EQS’, and 10 battery modules rather than 12.
EVA stands for electric vehicle architecture, and the 2 signifies that it’s a generation (or half a generation) on from EVA1 and EVA1.5. That actually undersells it, as those earlier versions were adapted from combustion-car platforms whereas EVA2 was designed from the off as an electric-only architecture – and it shows.
Earlier electric Mercs – the GLC-based EQC, the A-Class-based EQA and B-Class-based EQB – are compromised by proportions that make sense when there’s a big engine up front and the accompanying transmission hardware, plus a fuel tank up the back. EVA2, by contrast, is all about having batteries under the seats and an electric motor on the rear axle, or one on each axle, with no physical connections between front and rear axles.
The result is a shorter, lower bonnet – which can look weird on the EQS, certainly when compared to the S-Class, which shares the EQS’s ambitions of providing smooth, quiet, luxury driving, but does not share any of its platform. That shorter bonnet, combined with shorter front and rear overhangs, means that a car of similar length can have a roomier interior.
The EQS will soon be joined by the EQS SUV, with up to seven seats – which has the same wheelbase as the saloon, but is 205mm higher – and the EQE SUV, a taller version of the EQE, becoming the electric equivalent of the GLE.
EVA2 is available in a variety of different sizes, but it’s not infinitely stretchable or shrinkable. The production offshoot of the acclaimed EQXX concept – essentially an all-electric replacement for the C-Class – is likely to be built on a different platform, dubbed MMA, created especially for compact and mid-size electric vehicles.
Mercedes electric cars: what’s available now?
Mercedes has hit back with the EQC, its first fully electric production car and a rival to the Jaguar i-Pace and Audi E-Tron. And it has followed it up with the EQA SUV, EQS limo and EQV minivan. The EQE saloon and EQS SUV are also in the pipeline. Below, we’ll go through each Mercedes EV.
Mercedes EQA
On sale: now
The Mercedes EQA – an electric SUV based on the combustion-engined GLA – is Mercedes’ second fully electric SUV, following in the footsteps of the larger EQC. It’s a rival to the Audi Q4 e-Tron, although the latter benefits from using a platform that was designed from the ground up to be an electric vehicle. The EQA doesn’t have that luxury.
That doesn’t mean it’s a bad car though: prices start from around £40,000, and the 66.5kWh battery will give you between 250 and 264 miles depending on which spec you go for. The EQA 250 has a single 187bhp motor that drives the front wheels, resulting in 0-62mph in 8.9sec, while the EQA 300 and 350 add a second motor at the rear for four-wheel drive. The latter is the most powerful, developing 288bhp and hitting 0-62mph in six seconds flat, although the top speed of 99mph is consistent throughout.
You could argue that the exterior styling is a tad derivative, but the interior gets a clean, modern design that matches the comfortable nature of the car. It’s great value, too.
Mercedes EQB
On sale: late 2021
The Mercedes EQB is an electric crossover that was revealed at the Shanghai motor show in April 2021, and it’s due in Europe before the year is out. It’s a similar size and shape to the GLB, but it borrows much of the powertrain from the smaller EQA.
The same 66.5kWh battery pack is used, and a similar range of 260 miles or so is expected. The EQB 250 will be the entry-level offering at launch with 187bhp to play with, while the EQB 350 should have some 240bhp at its disposal. Prices haven’t been confirmed yet, but given the EQA’s starting figure in the region of £40,000, an extra five grand should put you in the ballpark.
Mercedes EQC
On sale: now
The Mercedes EQC on the other hand isn’t cheap. Prices start from £65,720, and the SUV no longer qualifies for the government’s plug-in car grant of £2,500, which can now only be applied to zero-emission vehicles costing less than £35,000.
Still, it’s pretty quick with a 0-62mph time of 5.1sec, thanks to a powertrain that generates 402bhp. The 80kWh battery gives you 259 miles of range on paper, and you can top up cells from 10 to 80% full in just 35 minutes if you can find a 100kW charger; the fastest charge you will get from anything faster than this is 110kW, which is where the EQC maxes out.
Although it’s not as bold as the likes of the Jaguar i-Pace or Tesla Model X, the EQC has a lot going for it: a well-built, luxury cabin, arresting levels of performance and handling characteristics suited to a long, relaxed motorway cruise.
Mercedes EQE
On sale: mid 2022
The Mercedes EQE is essentially a four-door saloon partner to the next-generation E-Class, and if the looks hadn’t already given it away, you can think of it as a smaller version of the EQS limo.
The EQE 350 uses a 90kWh battery and features a single motor on the rear axle producing 288bhp and 391 lb ft of torque, a combination that Mercedes says will result in an impressive 410 miles of range. You can attribute much of that to the car’s sleek profile: Merc reckons the EQS is the world’s most aerodynamic car with a drag coefficient of 0.2, so you can bet on the EQE being almost as slippery.
A roomy, comfortable car that dials down the ‘look at me!’ flamboyance and overkill tech of the EQS to offer what Mercedes has always done best: put you in safe hands.
There’s an AMG variant on the way, but the EQE is already compelling without the tinkering.
Mercedes EQS
On sale: now
The Mercedes EQS is the electric equivalent of the S-Class limousine, and it went on sale in September 2021 priced a fiver shy of £100,000. There are more versions to follow, but the initial offering of the rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ brings with it 329bhp and a range of 453 miles thanks to a mammoth 107.8kWh battery. An AMG-tuned version is due at a later date: that is thought to have 700bhp at its disposal.
Of course, the S-Class is known for its technology as much as anything else, and the EQS is no different. Buyers can spec a 1,410mm ‘Hyperscreen’ that spans the entire width of the dashboard and brings three digital displays into a single unit, albeit at a cost of £7,995. And no, that’s not a typo. Other than that there are automatic pop-out doors, 350 sensors and much else besides: this will be the EV of choice for wealthy business folk with an eco conscience.
Mercedes EQS SUV
On sale: late 2022
The EQS SUV is 200mm taller than the standard limousine, with a tweaked design and more seats.
Three powertrain versions have been announced: EQS 450+, 450 4Matic and 580 4Matic. It’s not known yet which variants will make it to the UK, but the 450+ version claims up to 410 miles on a single charge. Both the 4Matic ones claim up to 380 miles, and every version is capable of 200kW fast charging.
Merc’s EQS SUV will arrive later in 2022, and we expect the price tag to start from around £120k when it arrives in the UK.
Read more about the EQS SUV here
Mercedes EQV
On sale: now
The Mercedes EQV electric minivan was launched in the summer of 2020 with prices starting from £70,665, putting it very much at the ‘expensive’ end of the people-carrier-slash-minivan spectrum. A 100kWh battery (90kWh of that is usable) is enough for 213 miles of range, and although 201bhp sounds like a lot for a vehicle of this type, it has 3,500kg of its own bulk to contend with. So it’s not exactly fast.
That said, there’s lots of space inside for passengers and their luggage (this is the kind of vehicle that’s expected to ferry people between airport terminals and hotels) and the 45-minute charge time for a 10-80% top up means it won’t have to spend too long out of service. A handy feature for any businesses considering one.
Mercedes electric cars: what’s available soon?
EQE SUV
After revealing the all-electric EQE saloon, the three-pointed star is now testing a new, SUV version of its electric E-class.
Our spy photographers have snapped the new electric crossover in and around Stuttgart, in both AMG and normal variants. And although slightly disguised, it appears to everything you’d expect from a EQE on stilts.
Vision EQXX
This hyper-economical EV concept was designed from the ground up to be as efficient as possible, as well as demonstrate new EV technology. It’s been built to champion the virtues of modest power combined with world-leading aerodynamics. Mercedes also achieved its massive target of managing 1000km (621 miles) on a single charge with its Vision EQXX.
The drag coefficient is a remarkable 0.18Cd – beating the 0.20 of the EQS – achieved through the car’s shape – low nose, tapered rear, smooth in between – with a bit of help from movable flaps at the front and diffuser at the rear, which protrudes more at higher speeds.
The aerodynamics were also designed to cool the electrics – the airflow under the car passes under a cooling plate that takes away most of the surplus heat, thus reducing the need for heavy, bulky fans and jackets.
Read more about the EQXX
The future’s bright, the future’s electric
Mercedes’ electric adventure started some years ago, and spans everything from Smart to the biggest plug-in S-classes. Thiemer reckons it’ll take a good three years to establish the EQ brand, but says that process is well underway. ‘We will have 10 PHEVs [plug-in hybrid electric vehicles] by 2017.’
And a full range of EQ family members, all bespoke electric models? ‘Within five years we will have a whole family,’ the marketing chief tells CAR. ‘By 2025, 15-25% of the Mercedes range will be fully electric. Add in PHEVs, and they’ll make up 50% of our range.’
You’d better believe it: the electric revolution is coming. ‘The car is no longer just a platform,’ adds Zetsche. ‘It’s a digital platform.’ Expect conventional wisdom to be turned upside down…
Keyword: Mercedes-Benz electric cars: everything from EQA to EQS explained