- Mercedes-Benz’s all-electric SUV is called the EQC and will break cover next year.
- The EQC will rival against the likes of Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model X and upcoming BMW iNext and Audi E-Tron.
- The EQC will be launched under a separate EQ electric brand.
Mercedes-Benz has teased the EQC once again in a new video undergoing testing in Europe’s driest region – the Tabernas desert in Andalusia, Spain. The EQC is Mercedes-Benz’s first all-electric vehicle. The pure-electric SUV was earlier teased undergoing cold weather testing in Sweden.
The EQC is three years in development, says Michael Kelz, chief engineer of EQC. They have tested more than 90 prototypes across millions of kilometres. After the cold weather, the testing has moved to the Tabernas desert to check how the electric EQC performs in the heat. It now remains to be seen how the pre-production prototype holds up against the vibrations on the rough gravel in the desert. The prototype is now very close to production, according to Kelz, and they will now move to dynamic driving tests. Of course, we think that Nurburgring would be the place for that.
The ‘C’ in the first Mercedes EV’s name essentially refers to its size/positioning. Which means it will be on par with the C-Class and GLC. All the upcoming EQ models will be underpinned by the carmaker’s Modular Electric Architecture (MEA) which was specially developed for electric vehicles. Although official details on EQC are sketchy at the moment, the carmaker has revealed that it will get a battery with more than 70 kWh of output. They also disclosed that we can expect a range of 483km between recharges.
The EQC is expected to arrive only sometime next year before hitting the streets in 2020. The EQC belongs to the new crop of electric SUVs which currently includes the Tesla Model X and the Jaguar I-Pace. However, this segment is bound to get crowded in a few years’ time with the inevitable electric push from major car manufacturers. The prominent upcoming members in the segment are the Audi E-Tron Quattro, Mini electric, Skoda Vision E, Hyundai Nexo and BMW iNext.
