After two weeks of teasing, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its EQC electric SUV today in Stockholm. The vehicle is the first electric vehicle to be built from the ground up and the first part of its new EQ electric brand. It’s ‘the Mercedes of electric vehicles,’ said CEO Dieter Zetsche. Zetsche said that Daimler, and Mercedes-Benz in particular in this case, are all-in with the launch of the EQC. We’ve had a pretty good look at the electric SUV through Mercedes’ multiple teasers, but we’re getting a full look at the vehicle. They have definitely toned down the concept of the concept vehicle and delivered a more traditional Mercedes-Benz SUV look, which should make most people glad. The form factor is much less aggressive and more reminiscent of the brand’s existing full-size SUVs. Unless pointed out, you would not know at first glance that it is a new EQ electric model. The front-end features a very large fake grille with an oversized Mercedes-Benz logo. Here are a few images of the EQC electric SUV released after the launch event in Stockholm today: The 650 kW battery pack with a capacity of 80 kWh. Mercedes-Benz describes the pack: “The EQC is equipped with the latest generation of lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery serving as the source of energy for both electric motors.” The battery consists of 384 cells and is located in the vehicle floor, between the two axles The high-voltage battery has a maximum voltage of 408V and a nominal capacity of 210Ah, for an energy content of 80kWh (according to NEDC). “ Here’s an image of the different components in the EQC’s battery pack: Mercedes-Benz is talking about a 450km (280 miles) journey, but the company is still using the NEDC standard and therefore we expect it to be 30 to 50 miles lower. The battery pack will be powered by 2 asynchronous motors with a total capacity of 300 kW (408 hp). It can achieve a top speed of 180 km/h (111 mph) and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds. According to the spec sheet, the EQC is equipped with a water-cooled onboard charger with a capacity of 7.4 kW and has a maximum capacity of up to 110 kW at an appropriate charging station. “ Here’s an image of the whole EQC electric powertrain: The company is planning several different driving modes to be available in the EQC. Some modes take advantage of the vehicle’s performance and others aim at a more comfortable or efficient ride: They listed the following driving modes: COMFORT: Default setting; accelerator pedal characteristic supports a comfortable driving style, but also automatically becomes more dynamic depending on the driving style. Default setting; accelerator pedal characteristic supports a comfortable driving style, but also automatically becomes more dynamic depending on the driving style. ECO: Driving program focused on high efficiency and low consumption. Driving program focused on high efficiency and low consumption. MAX RANGE : Intelligent driving program that can help the driver achieve the maximum possible range. : Intelligent driving program that can help the driver achieve the maximum possible range. SPORT: Driving program focused on the best response for the highest driving performance. Driving program focused on the best response for the highest driving performance. INDIVIDUAL: There is also an individual driving program which allows the various parameters to be adjusted separately. On top of the driving mode, Mercedes also offers an extensive range of regenerative braking option, including “one-pedal driving” on high regen. Here are the regen modes: D Auto (recuperation via ECO Assist to suit the situation) D + (coasting) D (low recuperation) D – (medium recuperation) D – – (high recuperation). This makes one-pedal driving possible, because in most situations the recuperative deceleration is enough not to require operation of the brake pedal. The onboard infotainment and navigation system has also been redesigned for the EQ models to take into account the electric aspect. The navigation will plan routes based on charging stations and state-of-charge of the battery pack. Daimler has partnered with several other automakers to deploy the Ionity charging network in Europe. A few stations are already deployed and they are currently ramping up. They expect that the network is already going to be significant by the time the vehicle is available next year. Mercedes-Benz says the electric EQ models will be integrated into the existing production lines with the gas-powered cars. They say they have 6 plants that can already support electric models and the EQC wants first start production in Bremen, Germany, where the German automaker produces its C-Class and GLC vehicles. There’s no word on when production will start in Bremen exactly other than “in 2019”. The German automaker also confirmed that production in China should follow in 2019. Mercedes-Benz also didn’t confirm any pricing information about its new electric SUV. Electrek’s Take I am a big fan of the design here – certainly, a huge improvement from the concept unveiled a few years ago. The design is slick yet conventional. It is something that is approachable and could convince some Mercedes SUV fans to go electric. As for the specs, I am not really impressed for an electric vehicle that will reach the market only in 2019. To be fair, it all depends on the pricing. If it starts at something like $50,000-$60,000, it would make a lot of sense, but I somehow think that they will price it in the same range as the Tesla Model X and Audi e-tron quattro, which start (or is expected to start in the case of the quattro) at around $80,000. If that’s the case, the EQC will not have much more to offer than those other electric SUVs even though it is coming a year later. I would have thought that Daimler would have justified being behind Audi and Tesla in terms of production by launching the vehicle with an updated powertrain with better specs, but a charging capacity of 110 kW and a 80 kWh battery pack isn’t likely to impress in 2019.<doc-sep>Mercedes-Benz unveiled Tuesday the EQC, an all-electric crossover that kicks off the German automaker’s plans to invest more than $12 billion to produce a line of battery-powered models under its new EQ brand. The automaker plans to invest another $1.2 billion in global battery production, Daimler AG Chairman and Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche said. The Mercedes EQC, which is expected to go on sale in the U.S. in 2020, joins a list of luxury all-electric vehicles introduced in recent months that aim to capture market back from Tesla. Porsche has plans to produce the all-electric Taycan at the end of 2019. Audi is unveiling its all-electric e-tron quattro SUV next week. Sales of the Jaguar I-Pace are expected to begin in the U.S. this fall. The Mercedes EQC has a new drive system with compact dual electric drivetrains at each axle, which together generates 402 horsepower and 562 pound-feet of torque. The EQC can travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds. The vehicle’s 80 kilowatt-hour battery has an estimated range of around 200 miles, Mercedes-Benz said. The battery has standard DC fast-charging that can reach an 80% charge in 40 minutes. The EQC will come standard with 19-inch wheels, LED headlamps with adaptive high-beam assist, a sliding sunroof, heated, power and memory front seats as well as its new MBUX infotainment system, which will include three years of free map updates. The system has a 10.25-inch instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch media display. Mercedes-Benz didn’t release a price for the EQC.<doc-sep>Battery-electric transportation just got a bit more luxurious as Mercedes-Benz joins the all-electric party with its eagerly awaited EQC, as it aims to dominate the premium market currently headed by Tesla and Jaguar. Such is Mercedes’ ambition that at the EQC reveal on September 4 it said that it will be launching 10 EQ models by 2022, covering 60 per cent of its market. Dieter Zetsche, Mercedes-Benz chairman, says he expects battery-electric vehicles to occupy between 15 and 20 per cent of the company’s sales by 2025. The EQC goes on sale next year, with pricing in the mid-£60,000s. Battery cars of this price currently attract a UK government incentive of £4,500. An 80kWh lithium-ion battery gives the EQC a range of about 250 miles, a top speed of 112mph and 0-62mph acceleration in 5.1sec. It is four-wheel drive with front and rear-mounted AC motors giving a total power of around 300kW; including the 650kg battery, it weighs about 2.5 tonnes. Ahead of the launch, it had been suggested that the range would be 310 miles, but using the new (and more realistic) WLTP economy and emissions testing procedure has meant a reduction to about 250 miles.<doc-sep>The Takeaway At a media roundtable with Dr. Zetsche, the question of fuzzy boundaries among the sub-brands was raised—or, as Zetsche put it, answering a question with a hypothetical: "When a Mercedes gets an electric drive, it becomes an EQ; when a Maybach gets an electric drive—does it become an EQ?" And there might be some minor issues in that regard, at first. (Zetsche also said that he would "be surprised if we had to wait 10 years" to see a full-electric AMG vehicle.) But in fact, EQ signals the first step in Daimler's all-out conversion from fossil-fuel-powered cars to electric vehicles and the general "mobility" mentality. It's not that, in 10 years, some Mercedes-AMG (or -Maybach, or -Benz) vehicles will be electric, and others won't; by then, likely all new Mercedes cars will be electric—and some of those EVs will be badged "AMG," or "Maybach," or "Benz." In a sense, EQ is designed to fail as a sub-brand by succeeding wildly as a concept. It all starts with the EQC 400. When you look at this car, you're looking at the future of Mercedes-Benz as we know it.<doc-sep>
Mercedes-Benz launched its first totally-electric SUV on Tuesday, the latest big car manufacturer to make a major play in the burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) sector. The Mercedes-Benz EQC was unveiled at an event in Stockholm, Sweden, and is the first vehicle produced under Mercedes' new technology brand EQ. It has a provisional electric range of over 450 kilometers, according to the New European Driving Cycle, and its combined carbon dioxide emissions are zero grams per kilometer, again according to provisional figures. The vehicle's lithium-ion battery, which weighs 650 kilograms, was produced by Daimler subsidiary Deutsche Accumotive. "With the EQC — the first fully-electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz — we are flipping the switch," Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said in a statement Tuesday. "Electric drive is a major component in the mobility of the future. We are therefore investing more than 10 billion euros in the expansion of our EQ model portfolio, and more than 1 billion euros in global battery production." Mercedes' launch of the EQC is the latest attempt by more established, traditional carmakers to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk's Tesla. On Monday, Audi began mass production of its e-tron, the brand's first totally-electric SUV. That vehicle will be officially unveiled in San Francisco on September 17. Production of the EQC is set to begin in 2019 at the Mercedes plant in Bremen, Germany, where the business said preparations were "in full swing." The vehicle will be produced on the same line as the company's C-Class Saloon and Estate, GLC and GLC Coupe. Mercedes also said that the Beijing Benz Automotive Co, a Sino-German production joint venture, was preparing to start production of the EQC for the local market in China. "One major pillar of our strategy is flexibility," Markus Schafer, executive board member at Mercedes-Benz Cars, said. "Our decision to produce electric vehicles on the same line as models with combustion engines enables us to respond flexibly to demand and use plant capacity to best effect. In this way, we can continue to ensure both high efficiency and top quality with well-proven production processes."