Mercedes-Benz increasing EV range

Mercedes-Benz is preparing to expand its electric vehicle (EV) line-up with six new models.

Leading the way is the EQS, an all-electric car in the S-Class range that will launch internationally in 2021.

It will be the first to use the marque’s custom-developed architecture that is scalable for all its EVs. An EQE business saloon and SUV variants of the EQS and EQE based on the same structure will follow soon after.

Other all-electric models on the way include an EQC mid-size SUV and an EQV people carrier.

In the compact class, production of the EQA, an electric version of the GLA, will start in 2020 followed by the EQB the year after.

Mercedes-Benz claims the EQS will deliver a range of up to 700 kilometres and it is undergoing final scrutiny at the marque’s Test and Technology Centre in Immendingen, Germany.

The vehicle has also been put through its paces in a number of different countries and climates, including Europe, China, South Africa and the United States.

Christoph Starzynski, vice-president electric vehicle architecture at Mercedes-Benz, says: “The EQS has already piled up far more than two million test kilometres from the heat of South Africa to the cold of northern Sweden.

“The EQS will be the S-Class of electric vehicles. That is why it is undergoing the same demanding development program as any other vehicle that has the privilege of proudly bearing the three-pointed star.

“In addition, there were quite a few tests specifically for electric cars that cover important development priorities such as range, charging and efficiency.”

Mercedes-Benz has set a goal of electric-powered cars, including all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, to account for more than half of its sales by 2030.