Mercedes-Benz unveils its first electric SUV
The EQC is the first new vehicle under the EQ brand.
At an event in Sweden Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off its first proper electric vehicle under the EQ brand. The EQC (official name: EQC 400 4Matic) is the automaker's crossover foray into electrified vehicles. With a smooth space-age design, the company calls an "avant-garde electro-look" the EQ is sure to turn heads when it lands on US shores in 2020.
The all-wheel-drive EV uses two motors (one in the front, one in the back) to propel itself, but for the sake of efficiency, each motor is configured differently. When the vehicle is under light and medium load, only the front motor is engaged. The rear motor meanwhile is there for "sportiness." That's something the car will have plenty of thanks to 402 horsepower and 564 foot-pounds of torque.
Mercedes says the EQC can do zero to 60 in 4.9 seconds. So it's no slouch off the line.
It's powered by an 80kWh battery pack running under the floor of the vehicle. The automaker says that car will support DC fast charging and will go from 10 percent to 90 percent in about 40 minutes via a 110 kW power source.
With a range of approximately of 200 miles (see update below), it's not going to unseat offerings from other automakers for how long it can stay on the road before plugging in, but it does deliver on the luxury you would expect from Mercedes.
While the exterior looks a bit like futuristic GLC, the interior goes full future with rose-gold accents and dual10.25-inch displays (one for the instrument cluster, the other for media) behind a single piece of glass that floats ahead of the dash. The doors and dah have "fins" to resemble a high-end amplifier.
If that's not fancy enough for you there will be an AMG interior trim level. No word how much more that'll add to the cost of the vehicle.
As you would expect, the latest Mercedes-Benz tech will be available in the car when it launches. That includes the new MBUX infotainment system with its impressive voice control. The system will have additional features for the EQ line including the ability to find nearby chargers.
It also has ECO Assist which helps create an efficiency map of a route using curves, intersections, traffic circles, gradients, and speed limits to alert the driver on how to drive efficiently. With a combination of light on the dash cluster and haptic feedback on the accelerator, Mercedes says it'll help make drivers more efficient.
Behind the wheel, the latest version of Distronic — the automaker's suite of driver-assistance features — includes slowing a vehicle down while in adaptive cruise control for corners using high-quality mapping and streets signs.
Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing for the electric Mercedes. But it won't be the last EV to come from the automaker. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz said that the company will invest 10 billion euros in the EQ portfolio and over a billion in battery production.
Update: According to Mercedes, the 200 mile estimated range figure for the US is "incorrect." Per a spokesperson, "For now, we ask that you please use the 450 km New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) figure (approximately 279 miles). The official U.S. range will be communicated closer to market launch."
