The ultimate version of the first serious all-electric car from Mercedes-Benz has finally been revealed. The Mercedes-Benz EQC, an all-wheel drive electric SUV with more than 200 miles of range, was officially announced on Tuesday, nearly two years after the original concept SUV debuted at the Paris Motor Show. It was unveiled at an event in Sweden where Dieter Zetsche, the head of Mercedes-Benz, called it the “dawn of a new era” for the company. Fully known as the Mercedes-Benz EQC400 4MATIC, the EQC will go on sale in the US in 2020. Pricing has not been announced. Production will start in 2019 in Germany, and it will eventually spread to China and potentially to the company’s US plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, down the road. It will be quick, but it won’t last as long as the competition While Mercedes-Benz teased a range of around 300 miles with the concept version, the production EQC will potentially travel less than that on a full charge. Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler says it estimates the EQC will get about 280 miles per charge, but that’s based on the notoriously optimistic NEDC standards used in Europe. For comparison, the Jaguar I-Pace is rated for 300 miles with NEDC but is rated at 240 miles with the EPA in the United States. This means the EQC could wind up short of the range performance of luxury SUVs like the I-Pace or the base version of the Tesla Model X 75D (rated at 237 miles with the EPA). (Audi’s forthcoming electric E-Tron SUV is supposed to reach close to 250 miles, as is BMW’s electric iX3 SUV.) Still, it’s a huge leap from the company’s first attempts with the electric B-class and Smart Fortwo EV. Mercedes-Benz says it will be possible to charge the 80kWh battery pack from 10 percent to 80 percent in 40 minutes using DC fast chargers. (Mercedes-Benz USA initially sent out press materials that said the EQC’s estimated range was both “around” and “up to” 200 miles. A representative for the company told The Verge after publish: “Our colleagues in Stuttgart have advised us that the preliminary estimated range figure for the EQC of 200 miles for the U.S. is incorrect.”) It might be a little light on range compared to the competition, but the EQC is otherwise packed to the sunroof with features. The SUV uses Mercedes-Benz’s slick new MBUX user interface / infotainment system, which dominates the dashboard, thanks to two 10.25-inch digital displays. Heated seats, 19-inch wheels, rose gold accents, and adaptive headlights are all standard. Optional features include 64-color ambient lighting and Mercedes-Benz’s driver assistance package. The EQC will be a tick slower than the I-Pace and on par with the Model X 75D, making it from 0–60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Its top speed is also electronically limited to 112 mph. (The Model X has a limited top speed of 155 mph, while the I-Pace tops out at 124 mph.) But it otherwise sounds generally quick, with 402 horsepower coming from the two electric motors (one on each axle). Mercedes-Benz EQC vs. the competition Specs Mercedes-Benz EQC Tesla Model X 75D Jaguar I-Pace Audi E-Tron Quattro (concept) BMW iX3 Specs Mercedes-Benz EQC Tesla Model X 75D Jaguar I-Pace Audi E-Tron Quattro (concept) BMW iX3 Range Over 200 miles (est) 237 miles 240 miles 248 miles (est) 250 miles (est) 0-60mph 4.9 sec 4.9 sec 4.5 sec 4.5 sec TBA Top speed 112mph 155mph 124mph TBA TBA Battery 80kWh 75kWh 90kWh 95 kWh 70kWh Weight TBA 5,185 lbs 4,784 lbs TBA TBA Horsepower 402hp 518hp 394hp 429hp 270hp Price TBA $79,500 $69,500 TBA TBA Like most other major automakers, Mercedes-Benz (and Daimler) have committed billions of dollars toward making its cars more electric in the coming decade. The EQC is the first of an entire future lineup of EQ-branded all-electric cars. The company also already makes hybrid (dubbed EQ Boost) and plug-in hybrid (EQ Power) versions of some of its existing sedans and SUVs. The EQC, then, is Mercedes-Benz’s attempt to introduce customers to what is still a very new type of car. By the time it’s on sale, though, the competition will be fierce. In the luxury space alone, the EQC will be up against the Model X and I-Pace, as well as forthcoming electric SUVs from BMW and Audi. Porsche has an all-electric crossover car on the way, too. That’s not to mention all the other automakers playing below the luxury space who have electric SUVs and crossovers in the works, like Ford, Hyundai, and Volkswagen. With most of these companies promising more than 200 miles of range — or at least offering more as an option — Daimler is likely betting that the Mercedes-Benz brand and its reputation for luxury, as well as the company’s claimed history as the “inventor of the automobile,” will help to make up the difference. Update September 4th, 5:00PM ET: Mercedes-Benz USA says that the press materials it sent out to accompany the announcement of the EQC included incorrect information about the SUV’s estimated range. The post has been updated to reflect this. Correction: Mercedes-Benz has previously released all-electric cars.<doc-sep>German carmaker Mercedes-Benz will unveil an all-electric vehicle (EV) at a launch event in Stockholm, Sweden, on Tuesday. The EQC is a battery electric vehicle and the first model from Daimler-owned Mercedes' new product and technology brand, EQ. It will be released on the market in 2019. The vehicle has undergone winter testing followed by summer trials in the heat of Spain. The car's unveiling is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time (12:30 p.m. ET). 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 sport utility vehicle (SUV). That car will be officially unveiled in San Francisco on September 17. A number of major businesses have invested in the EV sector recently. Earlier this summer, oil giant BP entered into an agreement to purchase EV charging business Chargemaster. And, in early August, global energy and services business Centrica made a "multi-million pound" investment in Israeli start-up Driivz, which specializes in end-to-end software solutions for electric EV charging.<doc-sep>Mercedes-Benz showed a concept all-electric SUV at the Paris Motor Show two years ago and the company has today unveiled the production version of that concept. The German auto giant introduced the Mercedes-Benz EQC today, it’s an all-electric SUV that boasts a range of 200 miles and touts 402 horsepower. Advertising The SUV has been unveiled today at an event in Sweden where the company’s head Dieter Zetsche said that it’s the dawn of a new era for the iconic car manufacturer. The concept was announced with a 300-mile range but the production version will be capable of going 200 miles on a single charge. It’s lower than the base model of Tesla’s Model X that can do 237 miles. The company does say that the 80kWh battery pack can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 40 minutes using DC fast chargers. The EQC will be able to go from 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds on to an electronically limited top speed of 112mph. There’s one electric motor on each axle providing a combined 402 horsepower. The SUV doesn’t skimp out on technology. It will come with the company’s new MBUX user interface which takes center stage on the dashboard with two 10.25 inch digital displays. Additional kit includes adaptive headlights, a driver assistance package, 64 color ambient lighting, heated seats, and 19 inch wheels. Mercedes-Benz will start selling the SUV in the United States in 2020. It will start producing the SUV in Germany next year and will eventually start making units in China and the U.S. plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as well. The price has not been confirmed yet. Filed in . Read more about Electric Cars and Mercedes Benz.<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."