Old Dog, New Tricks
The electric vehicle market is set to ramp up in the coming years as new players look to catch up with Tesla and throw their hat in the ring. When it comes to cars of the future, it seems old dogs will need to learn new tricks. One of the most establish car companies in the whole world, Mercedes-Benz, is gearing its production to start producing its own line of electric SUV’s in 2019.
Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz first announced it was developing an electric vehicle at the 2016 Paris Auto Show. Since Mercedes first announcing its initial designs, it was clear Mercedes had it eyes on producing one of the first electric SUV’s. An electric vehicle built with the quality and craftsmanship the brand has been typically known for.
Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
This car will be the first Mercedes-Benz model to be launched under the new product brand EQ. EQ stands for “Electric Intelligence” according to the company website. With the new electric SUV in this line being called the EQC. The EQC line will feature an all-new drive system development with electric drivetrains at each axle. The dual electric drivetrain will look to provide the electric SUV’s with the driving characteristics of an all-wheel drive car. Both axles together will generate an output of 300 kW and a maximum torque of 765 Nm.
Images courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
But given the emissions issues of our time – much of the focus around the new Mercedes-Benz EQ is on its energy consumption. The SUV will consume around 22.2kWh/100 km and produce zero CO2 emissions. The car will feature a lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 80 kWh. Connecting the cars battery to power sources will be a water-cooled onboard charger with a capacity of 7.4 kw, suitable for charging at home or at public stations. Mercedes-Benz claims the battery in its SUV will go from 10% to 80% in around 40 minutes. This would be impressive by most standards. It usually takes my iPhone around 40 minutes to fully charge.
The entrance of Mercedes into the electric car market will certainly shake things up. In many ways these plans by the german auto makers are a clear sign of what to come ahead. We can only expect more new players to compete for the ever-increasing market share of EVs.
