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2022 Mercedes EQS EPA Range Estimate Is Significantly Smaller Than WLTP Estimate

The 2022 Mercedes EQS now has an official EPA rating of its range. As expected, the EPA range estimate is lower than the converted WLTP figure, but the final result is lower than you might imagine at first glance. With the new stats, Tesla and Lucid still have better figures on this matter.
2022 Mercedes EQS 25 photos
Photo: Mercedes-EQ
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But first, let us get to the rating part. The EQS has a maximum range estimate of 485 miles (ca. 781 km) in the WLTP cycle. Naturally, the former works in kilometers, but if you do the conversion to miles, it will be 485.

With that in mind, you would expect EPA figures to be close, right? Well, not quite, as there are different measuring standards at play.

The Mercedes EQS 450+, a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model, got a 350-mile (563 km) range rating. Meanwhile, its sibling with all-wheel drive and two motors, called EQS 580, had an EPA range estimate of 340 miles (ca. 547 km).

Both versions of the EQS come with a 108-kWh battery, so the difference comes in weight and the presence of the second motor for the 580 version. We must also note that both variants have the same 0.20 drag coefficient, which is remarkable for a production car.

If we look around in the market, Mercedes-EQ's latest sedan beats the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT in the range department, which should be considered a win for the brand from Stuttgart.

Two electric cars that may be direct competitors of the EQS, the Tesla Model S and the Lucid Air, have variants that offer higher range estimates according to the EPA standards. The Model S in long-range trim received an estimate of 405 miles (ca. 652 km) of range.

Meanwhile, the Lucid Air took things to the next level with a 520-mile (836 km) range estimate. There is a lower trim in the Lucid Air range, which offers a range estimate of “just” 516 miles (ca. 830 km).

Evidently, the European and the U.S. spec models come with the same powertrain configurations, so the difference is set in the way that the different homologation institutions test each new model to provide a rating.

Independent testing has demonstrated that the WLTP test cycle may be a bit on the optimistic side, while the EPA's test tends to be pessimistic. If you insist on comparing these models on range ratings alone, using just one of the standards would not be fair in our view.

If the comparison is on those figures alone and just on paper, you might as well do an average between the EPA and WLTP estimate for each version to get a different view, just for comparison's sake. This only works if the car is offered in both the U.S. and European markets in the same version, as is the case with the Tesla Model S, the Mercedes EQS, Porsche Taycan, and many more.

However, EPA range estimates do matter because automakers must cite the figures in their marketing, as Slashgear notes.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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