Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Sometime by the end of this year, Mercedes-Benz will enter the electric car market in force, with the launch of the EQC, the first in a new bloodline of three-pointed star models running on electricity. As the launch date approaches, Mercedes is making the finishing touches and tests.
Taking advantage of the season, the EQC is currently on location is Sweden, doing its best to prove it can survive harsh winter conditions. As do other carmakers, including rival BMW with its iNext, Mercedes is testing the EQC in extreme cold to see how the multiple systems of the car work.
For Mercedes, the goal of winter testing cover everything from cold-star characteristics to, most importantly, the range of the battery, especially with the heating on.
Officially, the range of the 80-kWh battery fitted on the car is off more than 450 kilometers (280 miles), according to measurements taken under to the outgoing New European Driving Cycle. The battery works together with two electric motors that develop a combined 402 hp, enough for 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62 mph) acceleration time of 5.1 seconds.
Mercedes did not say how much that range drops when the battery is exposed to extreme cold.
Physically, the EQC is being tested to see how the motor compartment and axles react to penetrating ice or snow, how wheel sensors work when they are iced up or how the filler neck compartment seals during operation.
Since last year, Mercedes says it used around 200 EQC prototypes to test all that can be tested in the most usual or harshest environments in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
The test cars covered “several million kilometers,” driving in temperatures that range from minus 35° to over plus 50° Celsius, and in Europe alone were subjected to more than 500 individual tests.
The first fully electric Mercedes SUV will go into production this year at different sites across the globe. No info on the price has been made available yet.
For Mercedes, the goal of winter testing cover everything from cold-star characteristics to, most importantly, the range of the battery, especially with the heating on.
Officially, the range of the 80-kWh battery fitted on the car is off more than 450 kilometers (280 miles), according to measurements taken under to the outgoing New European Driving Cycle. The battery works together with two electric motors that develop a combined 402 hp, enough for 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62 mph) acceleration time of 5.1 seconds.
Mercedes did not say how much that range drops when the battery is exposed to extreme cold.
Physically, the EQC is being tested to see how the motor compartment and axles react to penetrating ice or snow, how wheel sensors work when they are iced up or how the filler neck compartment seals during operation.
Since last year, Mercedes says it used around 200 EQC prototypes to test all that can be tested in the most usual or harshest environments in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
The test cars covered “several million kilometers,” driving in temperatures that range from minus 35° to over plus 50° Celsius, and in Europe alone were subjected to more than 500 individual tests.
The first fully electric Mercedes SUV will go into production this year at different sites across the globe. No info on the price has been made available yet.
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