Mercedes-Benz Announces Six New EQ BEVs Coming

EQS, EQE and SUV variants of both will be built on the new electric architecture.

Oct 6, 2020 at 9:53am ET

Mercedes-Benz confirmed the upcoming expansion of its EQ electric car range, which currently consists of two models - EQC SUV and EQV van.

The German manufacturer intends to introduce an additional six EQ models: EQA, EQB, EQS, EQE and SUV variants of both, EQS and EQE.

EQA - the fully electric brother of the GLA - is scheduled to enter production later this year, while the EQB will be introduced in 2021.

The most important thing is however that the EQS (an all-electric luxury model, equivalent to the S-Class), scheduled for 2021, will be the first EQ model built on the new electric architecture. This new custom-developed platform will be used also in the EQE business saloon and the SUV variants of EQS and EQE.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the new platform is modular and scalable "in every aspect" (the wheelbase and track, system components, especially battery pack) so it will allow building a variety of models from saloons to large SUVs.

In the case of EQS, the range should be up to 700 km (435 miles) WLTP, which is quite a lot.

Because the EQS is not only a new model, but it also pioneers the entire platform, Mercedes-Benz is currently testing a number of prototypes around the world. Christoph Starzynski, Vice-President Electric Vehicle Architecture at Mercedes-Benz and responsible for the EQ vehicles said that prototypes already covered "far more than two million test kilometres from the heat of South Africa to the cold of Northern Sweden".

"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."

Production of the EQS will take place alongside the S-Class at the "Factory 56" in Sindelfingen, Germany.

By 2030, Mercedes-Benz expects that all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles will account for more than half of its car sales.