The electric initiative from Mercedes-Benz Cars is accelerating with the announcement of another new model. With the EQA, EQB, the electric business saloon EQE and the luxury saloon EQS, a total of four new models from Mercedes-EQ are being introduced in 2021, plus the Concept EQT as a harbinger of a new high level of quality in the small van segment.

The Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid family, currently consisting of more than 20 model variants, is being renewed with electrified derivatives of the C-Class and the S-Class. For 2021, Mercedes-Benz Cars expects to increase the xEV share, i.e. of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, to around 13 percent.

In addition, mild hybrids with a starter-generator and 48-volt system are conquering the product range, especially of the Group’s luxury vehicles.

“With the new EQB we have designed an iconic electric SUV which incorporates the square forms of our off-roaders and projects them into the future. Its significant silhouette is combined with futuristic elements such as the black panel front to create the extraordinary look of this vehicle”, says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of the Daimler Group.

In Europe, the all-electric compact SUV will be launched as the EQB 300 4MATIC (combined electrical consumption NEDC: 16.2 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km)^[1] with 168 kW and as the EQB 350 4MATIC with 215 kW (combined electrical consumption NEDC: 16.2 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km)¹. The ranges according to WLTP are 419 kilometres in each case. Further variants to meet specific customer requirements will follow, including a particularly long-range version.

Generous space and variable, level boot

The EQB enriches the successful Mercedes compact car family and is closely related to two models in particular: to the EQA, whose advanced drive technology it shares, and to the GLB compact SUV. This is where the long wheelbase (2829 millimetres), the spacious and variable interior and the optional third row of seats with two additional individual seats come from.

The dimensions of the five-seater: 4684/1834/1667 millimetres (length/width^[2]/height). Space is generous. The headroom in the first row of seats is 1035 millimetres, in the second it is 979 millimetres for the five-seater. At 87 millimetres, the knee space in the rear of the five-seater reaches a comfortable level. The boot is level and spacious: the load volume of 495 to 1710 or 465 to 1620 litres (figures for five- and seven-seaters respectively) has the qualities of a compact estate car. The backrests of the seats in the second row can be adjusted in several stages as standard, and this row features fore/aft adjustment of 140 millimetres as an option. This enables the boot to be enlarged by up to 190 litres and put to versatile use.

As an option, the EQB has a third row of seats comprising two extra individual seats. The seats offer people up to a height of 1.65 metres a comfortable amount of space. Extensive safety features include retractable head restraints, seat belts with belt tensioners and force limiters on all outer seats and a side windowbag that also covers passengers in the third row. A total of up to four child seats can be fitted in rows two and three, plus one more in the front passenger seat. To increase luggage space, the third-row seats can be lowered flush into the load floor.

Sophisticated charging technology, large network and compensation through green electricity

At home or at public charging stations, the EQB can be conveniently charged at up to 11 kW with alternating current (AC) using the onboard charger. The charging time required for a full charge depends on the available infrastructure and the country-specific vehicle equipment. Charging at a Mercedes-Benz Wallbox is considerably faster than at a domestic power socket.

And it is of course even faster at direct current (DC) fast-charging stations. Depending on the SoC (State of Charge) and the temperature of the high-voltage battery, the EQB charges at a corresponding charging station with a maximum power of up to 100 kW. The charging time is then just over 30 minutes from 10-80 percent SoC. For AC and DC charging, the EQB is equipped as standard in Europe and the USA with a CCS (Combined Charging Systems) connector in the right-hand side panel.

Via Mercedes me Charge, EQB drivers will be able to use one of the most extensive charging networks in the world: this currently comprises more than 530,000 AC and DC charging stations across 31 countries. Mercedes me Charge allows Mercedes-EQ customers convenient use of the charging stations of various providers, while they also benefit from an integrated payment function with simple billing processes. With the EQB, one year of Mercedes me Charge is included.

In Europe, Mercedes-Benz guarantees by means of high-quality certificates of origin that electricity from renewable energies is fed into the grid for charging volumes that flow via Mercedes me Charge. With Mercedes me Charge, customers can charge at more than 200,000 public charging stations across Europe, where Mercedes-Benz ensures subsequent compensation through green electricity.

The EQB in the global production network

Production of the EQB will start in October 2021 at two locations within the Mercedes-Benz Cars global production network: at the Hungarian Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét for the global market and at the German-Chinese joint venture BBAC in Beijing for the local market. Preparations, including staff qualification processes and reconstruction work, have already commenced at the plants. The EQB compact SUV will be the first all-electric production vehicle from Hungary and will complement the plug-in hybrid portfolio produced there.

Since it commenced production in 2012, the Hungarian Mercedes-Benz plant has continually increased in importance within the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars. In addition to digital networking, the strengths of the compact car production network include direct exchange with the lead plant for compact cars in Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg.

The battery systems for the compact Mercedes EQ models currently produced in Europe are supplied by the Mercedes-Benz subsidiary Accumotive in Kamenz and by the battery factory in Jawor, Poland. Both factories were designed to operate as CO₂-neutral facilities from the outset.