New Mercedes-Benz EQC: UK pricing set for EV

Inside, the new model uses an upgraded version of the GLC’s cabin, parts of which appear on the upcoming facelifted version of the mid-range SUV. These include a newly designed dashboard with a digital instrument and infotainment panel, reworked ventilation units and a new multi-function steering wheel featuring touchpads within the horizontal spokes.

With seating for five and 79 litres more luggage space than the GLC, at a claimed 500 litres, the EQC will count versatility as one of its strongest selling points.

The EQC is powered by a newly developed electric powertrain that’ll be used across the Mercedes EQ range. Initially previewed in the Generation EQ concept, it consists of two electric motors – one powering the front wheels and another the rears – that enable four-wheel drive capability, depending on the driving mode.

Mercedes to follow EQC with nine EVs in next four years

Each of the EQC’s motors is configured differently: the front one is tuned for efficiency in the low to mid-load range, and the rear one is described as being more performance orientated, with a greater emphasis on the mid to high-load range. Rubber subframe mounts for the motors endow the EQC with class-leading refinement, according to Mercedes.

In Sport mode, the EQC will sprint from a standstill to 62mph in 5.1sec. Top speed is limited to 112mph. In a display of the car’s versatility, Mercedes also claims a towing capacity of 1800kg and a 515kg payload.

Energy to power the motors is supplied by an 80kWh battery. All up, the lithium ion unit weighs 650kg. With an official range of  259 miles on the WLTP cycle, the EQC can’t quite match the 292-mile range of the Jaguar I-Pace, which features a larger, 90kWh battery. That should translate to around 200 miles of real-world range.

A standard 7.4kW onboard charger enables AC charging via either regular mains or high-voltage public charging stations. Under DC charging, the EQC’s battery can be charged from 10% to 80% at up to 110kW in around 40 minutes.

There are no plans to offer different battery sizes on the EQC. However, Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche said that in future, EQ models could be offered with a range of options. “Yes [we could do it] but not like in today’s vehicles with 15 variations. We will probably try to offer different price points, which would offer different mile ranges. But it is not as easy to do as an internal combustion engine equivalent.”

The EQC will be produced at Mercedes’ Bremen plant in Germany and a joint-venture factory in Beijing, China. UK examples will be made exclusively in Bremen.

Mercedes said it constructed more than 200 prototypes of the EQC in a programme claimed to have covered “several million kilometres across four continents”.

Opinion: Mercedes EQC motor set-up holds promise

So it looks like Mercedes’ first committed stab at a proper EV will weigh more than a Tesla Model S and a Jaguar I-Pace – and, with 80kWh of battery capacity, may very well not offer quite as much real-world cruising range as either.

We’d be foolish to make any judgements about it on the basis of such preliminary information, or without knowing for sure exactly how Mercedes will be pricing the car, but that’s probably not the greatest of starts for it to have got off to.

I like the sound of the car’s motor configurations, though. It certainly makes sense to me to vary either the size of the motor at each axle, or its gearing, or both, in order to optimise performance and energy efficiency throughout the speed range.

And Mercedes’ claim is promising, too: that this motor strategy will boost the car’s handling dynamism, with the bigger and more powerful motor being at the rear, and perhaps only called upon when the car is in Sport mode or being driven under high load.

Matt Saunders

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