Available in Canada this fall, the EQS — the first model built on Mercedes’ new modular EV platform — features a 700-kilometre range and quick 200 kW DC fast charger speed
Available in Canada this fall, the EQS — the first model built on Mercedes’ new modular EV platform — features a 700-kilometre range and quick 200 kW DC fast charger speed
Mercedes-Benz has joined the handful of luxury vehicle manufacturers offering fully electric sedans, following Thursday’s unveiling of the company’s 2022 EQS. The vehicle will arrive at Canadian Mercedes dealerships this fall, with an as-yet-unannounced price tag.
The vehicle boasts an eye-popping single-charge range of around 700 kilometres. It can be charged up to 200 kW using a DC fast charger, allowing for 80 per cent of its battery to be restored in 31 minutes. It can also be charged up to 22 kW using a standard AC outlet.
The EQS will be available in both rear- and all-wheel-drive versions, although at the time of launch only the 4Matic all-wheel-drive vehicle will be available in Canada. The vehicle is also reportedly the most aerodynamic production car in the world, with a drag coefficient best value of 0.20.
New modular EV platform
The EQS is the first model based on the newly developed Mercedes-Benz EQ modular architecture for fully electric vehicles, which will form the basis of a number of Mercedes’ future electric releases. It joins the relatively small pool of fully electric luxury sedans available in Canada, alongside Audi’s e-tron range, Porsche’s Taycan Turbo, and the Tesla Model S.
The vehicle’s unveiling represents the first major step in Mercedes’ Ambition 2039 sustainability commitment, through which it aims to offer a completely carbon-neutral fleet of new cars within less than 20 years. The company has stated that it aims to have half of the cars it sells by 2030 be either plug-in hybrids or fully electric models.
Mercedes calls the EQS a “close relative” of the brand’s S-Class luxury sedans, and the vehicle will feature a number of the luxury benefits found in those vehicles, as well as new developments such as the MBUX Hyperscreen, an optional 56-inch three-screen display that spans the full width of the dashboard.
Canadian pricing won’t be announced until closer to the fall, Mercedes says. But it’s safe to say the EQS will run to at least $100,000, given that Mercedes S-Class gas vehicle prices typically begin in that range.
