PARIS – Mercedes-Benz provides the first clues to the looks, zero-emissions drivetrain technology, performance targets and naming of its first dedicated electric vehicle with the unveiling of a new 402-hp all-wheel-drive SUV concept at the Paris auto show.
Called the Generation EQ, the high-riding 4-seater is planned to go into production in 2019 as an EV rival to the likes of the Audi e-tron quattro, Jaguar E-Pace and Tesla Model X, using a lithium-ion battery claimed to provide it with a range of up to 310 miles (500 km) when fully charged.
As well as previewing Mercedes’s first uniquely styled series-production EV, the General EQ concept also provides insight into a new EV platform, autonomous-driving technology, connectivity and safety features developed for a range of electrics to be sold under the EQ name – a hybrid term for IQ and Electrical Intelligence.
“The mobility of the future at Mercedes-Benz is supported by four pillars: connected, autonomous, shared and electric,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says. “The Generation EQ brings all of these together on a brand-new vehicle architecture for battery-powered vehicles.”
The new SUV adopts traditional proportions with a pronounced hood line and tall glasshouse that runs back to an angled one-piece tailgate. There are certain similarities to the GLC Coupe in the overall silhouette and dimensions.
However, distinctive exterior detailing, including an illuminated panel incorporating the headlamps and Mercedes-Benz’s 3-pointed star emblem within the front fascia and a similar treatment housing the taillamps, makes the Generation EQ stand out from Mercedes’s more conventional combustion-engine offerings.
A further departure is the surfacing of the new concept. It eschews the tautly drawn treatment evident on existing Mercedes models for a fuller form with no hint of feature lines within the whole of the body. The clean new look, which Mercedes design boss Gorden Wagener describes as a new electro-aesthetic, is to become a defining stylistic element of the automaker’s new EVs.
To help boost the new SUV’s aerodynamic efficiency, Mercedes designers have resorted to several familiar air-cheating measures, including the concealment of the wipers underneath the trailing edge of the hood, the substitution of conventional exterior-wing mirrors with digital cameras, the deletion of traditional door handles in favor of a remote opening function and the fitment of 21-in. wheels featuring an aerodynamically optimized spoke design.
New Platform Paves Way for Wide ZEV Range
The basis for the Generation EQ concept is a newly developed platform structure that Zetsche says Mercedes will use to develop a complete range of zero-emissions vehicles over the next decade.
“We’re ready for the start of an electric-vehicle offensive with models that will cover every segment – from the compact class to the luxury class,” he says.
Constructed from a combination of hot-formed high-strength steel, aluminum and carbon-fiber- reinforced plastic, the platform is engineered to suit a number of different vehicle types, including SUVs, sedans, coupes, convertibles.
As with the German automaker’s existing architectures, the new EV platform is scalable, allowing it to support what Mercedes calls “a wide variety of wheelbase and track measurements as well as electric motors and battery combinations.”
Taking advantage of the inherent packaging advantages offered by contemporary electric drivelines, the Generation EQ’s Li-ion battery is mounted wholly within the floor, giving the SUV a much lower center of gravity than those of contemporary cars.
Power for the new SUV comes from two brushless electric motors, one mounted within the front axle and another within the rear axle.
The layout is said to provide a clear preview of the production version of the Generation EQ, which also will receive all-wheel drive boasting fully variable apportioning of power, both between the two axles and each of the individual rear wheels, through an advanced version of the torque-vectoring function first seen on the SLS Electric Drive.
Mercedes is not being specific about the power and torque ratings of the Generation EQ. However, Zetsche confirms the electric motors previewed by the new concept are designed to deliver a combined maximum 402 hp and peak torque of 516 lb.-ft. (700 Nm), figures he says will see the SUV’s production version to accelerate to 62-mph (100 km/h) in less than 5 seconds.
The battery, developed by Mercedes’s sister company Deutsche Accumotive, uses a modular-cell structure that allows it to be scaled to suit the model in which it is used. In the Generation EQ, it receives a capacity described as being over 70 kWh. This is sufficient to provide the new concept with a range of up to 310 miles. By comparison, the battery used by the similarly sized Tesla Model X P90D’s capacity of 90 kWh achieves a claimed range of 292 miles (470 km).
The battery of Mercedes’s EV concept is designed to support a range of charging methods, including a standard household circuit.
The automaker makes no claims about the charging times for each method, although Zetsche supports a so-called combined charging system that will allow charging at 300 kW in the mid-to-long term, suggesting five minutes of recharging would provide energy for an additional 62 miles (100 km) of range.
Concept Laboratory for ADAS Technology
As well as previewing Mercedes’s latest EV design lineage, platform architecture and driveline developments, the Generation EQ also showcases a number of new driver-assistance functions being considered for adoption on the automaker’s upcoming zero-emissions models.
Included is a prototype navigation system supplied by HERE, the former Nokia-owned digital-mapping company jointly purchased by Audi, BMW and Mercedes in 2015. It is able to precisely calculate the position and radii of corners and roundabouts, allowing the concept SUV to automatically adapt its speed and chassis settings in what is billed a further step toward autonomous driving.
Also on board is the newest in Car-to-X technology that is able to communicate with the infrastructure and other road users to provide the basis for a variety of safety features.
The Generation EQ’s interior was developed expressly for Mercedes’s upcoming EV lineup.
Incorporating the same reduced electro-aesthetic optic used for the exterior, it features a low dashboard featuring a 24-in. (61-cm) high-definition monitor with newly designed graphics in combination with a multi-function steering wheel with touchpads within the spokes and organic LED displays as well as a center console equipped with touch controls for ancillary features such as air conditioning.
Without traditional exterior rearview mirrors, Mercedes provides the concept with displays within the door lining that are used to project real-time images toward the rear.
A band of LEDs runs from the head of the dashboard down the sides and within the air vents, adding a contemporary air to the interior, which goes without a traditional center tunnel in a move that frees up space for added storage space between the seats.
While the concept car seats four, Mercedes indicates the production version of the Generation EQ will come with a three-across rear bench with space for five.
