When Luxury goes Electric

The Mercedes EQS sets the standards for combining luxury with electric mobility

- Sameer Kumar

Mercedes-Benz gave car lovers a feel of what cars would look and feel like when you combine electric mobility with luxury when it unveiled the EQS, an all-electric luxury sedan that will go on sale in Europe and America later this year. The car is part of the German carmaker's electric mobility plan to have only EVs in its portfolio within the next two decades. The EQS, which is part of the brand's S-Class segment, has been designed for extreme aerodynamics. It boasts a drag coefficient value of just 0.202, which is the lowest in the world for any production car. The EQS is designed to exceed the expectations of even our most demanding customers. That's exactly what a Mercedes has to do to earn the letter 'S' in its name because we don't award that letter lightly, says Ola Källenius, CEO, Daimler AG, and Mercedes-Benz AG.

The EQS uses a new generation of batteries with significantly higher energy density and usable energy capacity. A new battery management software allows for it to be updated remotely. The batteries power a 385kW electric motor. Depending on the type of charger used, the battery can take five to 10 hours for a full charge, ensuring a driving range of 770 km. It can also be charged up to 200kW at DC fast-charging stations in just 15 minutes, which is good enough for a range of around 300km. Mercedes is also working on a more powerful 560kW variant of the motor.