Mercedes-Benz EQ Unimog Rendering Hides a Dirty, Dirty Secret

There aren't that many models populating the EQ lineup at this moment - in fact, apart from the questionable EQC crossover, the only other cars are those from the smart EQ family. However, plenty of other models, big and small, are expected to join over the coming years.

None will be as big as this EQ Unimog, though. The rendering shows a future version of Mercedes-Benz's legendary utilitarian go-anywhere short wheelbase truck that embraces the values of the EQ family. Well, at least to a certain point.

Assuming the future belongs to electric powertrains, the Unimog will have to fall in line as unlikely as that may seem now. However, since its job sometimes takes it to very remote locations - the kind where there is no electricity to begin with, let alone charging stations - it can't rely solely on its battery pack to provide the power to its motors.

The author of the rendering, a transportation designer named Artyom Trofimenko, chose the most facile solution to this problem: an onboard diesel engine acting as a generator (or range extender, as they're usually referred to).

That doesn't sound too bad: the EQ Unimog can function on battery power and only start burning oil when its tasks take it away from the comforts of civilization. Except Artyom only gave the electric truck a 50 kWh battery pack (according to German publication Auto motor und sport), which we can't imagine will take the lumbering vehicle it too far.

Another, more environmentally friendly solution would have been the use of a hydrogen fuel cell instead of the three-cylinder 60 hp diesel engine. After all, Mercedes-Benz has delved into this technology before, so it could very well make a comeback on a vehicle like the Unimog.

Its powertrain aside, the EQ Unimog looks pretty much as you'd expect. Together with the G-Class SUV, the Unimog is the Mercedes-Benz vehicle that's changed its appearance the least over the years, so the electric conversion (we really should say "hybrid") can't mess too much with the vehicle's classic lines.

And it doesn't. There are the expected LED lights and the fuller radiator grille as well as a slightly more rounded overall look, but it is immediately identifiable as a Unimog. It also exudes the kind of capability you would expect from a purpose-built vehicle like the Unimog is, so it looks like the digital EQ conversion has done nothing to dent its status. Let's wait and see how things go in the real world, though.