Mercedes-Benz are nearing the final stages of testing for their first fully electric production vehicle, the EQC. Once it sees a full launch, the SUV-shaped full EV will kick off the German automaker’s new series of electric cars under the EQ banner, spawning new models to fill in most of the carmaker’s established range with a zero emissions alternative.
But first, they’ll have to make sure their debutant vehicle emerges fully baked. To that end, Benz have announced the completion of a gruelling hot weather trial program for the EQC, conducted in a particular hot part of Spain where summer heat can reach a searing 50 degrees Celsius. This follows an equally extensive sub-zero cold weather testing campaign in Sweden.
From these camouflaged pre-production units, the EQC seems to very little departure from the Generation EQ concept shown at the 2016 Paris Motor Show in terms of its design. As we expected, the GLC-sized electric SUV will sit relatively low to the ground despite the raised seating position, and will incorporate subtle exterior cues that are exclusive to the EQ series of vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz wanted to ensure that no weather conditions could adversely effect their EV’s power storage and drive systems. More so than in internal combustion cars, excessive heat can cause permanent battery damage, making the reliability and integrity of their cooling and temperature regulation system a matter of utmost importance.
They also tested for high drain situations during intense heat, measuring and optimising how the EQC’s batteries and circuitry would handle high speed driving, sometimes on challenging terrain, and coping with being rapidly charged under these conditions following a high drain period.
Another important aspect to hot weather testing is how the car will prioritise interior climate control, both during the journey and beforehand. Many electric vehicles, the EQC included, intelligently predict the most efficient times to engage the air conditioning system to keep the interior at a steady temperature, often called pre-climatisation. In this case, it’s important to make sure the car’s onboard systems can still output an accurate estimation of range even in very hot conditions where climate control is even more dependent upon.
By their own estimations, the EQC’s floor-mounted 70kWh battery can provide it with an average range of 500km on a full charge. Meanwhile, its dual electric motors (one on each axle) is claimed to provide a system output 300kW and 700Nm.
Aside from also testing the electric SUV’s refinement, ride and handling balance along with various driver-assistance and semi-autonomous driving features, the engineers also wanted to ensure that the weather sealing treatment will stand up in practice to fine dust particles.
Mercedes-Benz have so far made roughly 200 prototype EQCs for extensive real world testing in multiple regions around the world, assigned to a collective group of hundreds of development engineers and technicians over its four year development.
For more on Mercedes-Benz cars, check out our Showroom.
