Electric mobility – Mercedes-Benz flips the switch with Generation EQ

With no sign or likelihood that the popularity of the SUV will decrease, linked to ever-increasing development to put electric vehicles into production, it makes sense that someone should do an all-electric SUV.

New EQ brand for Mercedes-Benz electric cars

EQ is Mercedes-Benz's new product brand for electric mobility.  The name EQ stands for "Electric Intelligence", and this “Generation EQ" concept car is the forerunner of the new EQ brand.

"The mobility of the future at Mercedes-Benz will stand on four pillars: Connected, Autonomous, Shared und Electric. “Generation EQ” is the logical fusion of all four pillars," says Dr Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "The emission-free automobile is the future.  And our new EQ brand goes far beyond electric vehicles. EQ stands for a comprehensive electric ecosystem of services, technologies and innovations."

With "Generation EQ", Mercedes-Benz shows how electric cars can soon move into the fast lane.  The concept vehicle they showed has the appearance, practical size and layout of a sporty SUV, and it gives a preview of a new generation of battery-electric vehicles.

Electro-look

The exterior design with its new “electro-look” shows a focus on the powerful electric drive system, powered up to 300 kW, thanks to scalable battery components.

With a range of up to 500 km and the typical Mercedes strengths of safety, comfort, functionality and connectivity, "Generation EQ" meets every demand in terms of contemporary, sustainable mobility.

Despite the concept car’s futuristic surfaces, one could very well imagine that the Mercedes-Benz GLC we see on the roads today – just look at the likenesses – could be reinterpreted as the Generation EQ series production model.

Modular architecture for battery-electric models

The new generation of electric vehicles will be based on an architecture developed specifically for battery-electric models, which is scalable in every respect and usable across all models: the wheelbase and track width as well as all other system components (especially the batteries) are variable, thanks to the modular building-block system.  The vehicle concept is thus optimised to meet every requirement of a future-oriented, battery-electric model family.  The basic architecture is suitable for SUVs, saloons, coupés, cabriolets and other model series.  Cabriolets?  Finally!  Someone remembered that electric cars need not be limited to hatches, coupés and SUVs.

Similarly to the latest series-produced models from Mercedes-Benz, the vehicle architecture builds on an intelligent multi-material mix of steel, aluminium and carbon fibre. This ensures that the requirements in terms of lightweight design, strength and cost efficiency are ideally met.

Generation EQ is hot and cool

"Generation EQ is hot and cool," says Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG.  "Its fascination lies in a reinterpretation of our design philosophy of sensual purity, the aim being to create an avant-garde, contemporary and distinctive electro-look.  At the same time, the design of the visionary show car, which has been reduced to the essentials, reveals an alluring progressivity."

The new electro-look is the result of a flowing transition from the gleaming black bonnet across the windscreen to the dark-tinted panoramic roof – an exciting contrast to the alubeam silver paintwork.  The “grille” looks very electronic, with a gloss black surface area and blue lighting to create, if you will, a digital version of the traditional front radiator grille (which this car would no longer have and thus not need – no radiator, no grille).

Scarcely visible body panel joins, cameras instead of exterior mirrors and an absence of conventional door handles emphasise the stretched, dynamic silhouette, making the SUV crossover appear as a unified whole while reducing its air resistance.  It does look very space-age, like something movie-makers would have imagined up for a sci-fi movie.

Touch-based cockpit

The focus of the driver-oriented cockpit is on simple, touch-based controls with a new electro-look, consistently reflecting the exterior styling.  The asymmetrical design of the instrument panel with its large, floating wide-screen display is tailored to the driver.

Characterised by contemporary luxury, dispensing with traditional switches and knobs, except for the electric seat adjustment typical of Mercedes.

The innovative, digital user experience differentiates "Generation EQ" from the familiar control logic in today's vehicles, while giving a peek into the future of user interaction at Mercedes-Benz.

2 of the 3 narrow spokes on the steering wheel are provided with touch controls, which are integrated into OLED displays.  They indicate icons and symbols in the respective menus, so the driver can swipe through the various menus and confirm his/her selection with a click.

The 24-inch (53 x 11 cm) TFT high-definition wide-screen display presents all the relevant information.

Bordered in rose gold, the centre console appears to float, and also does without mechanical controls, being equipped with touch-sensitive elements.  Both the door openers (replacements for today’s cars’ physical door handles) and the electric window lifters are touch-controlled.

Close-to-production concept to flip the switch

The close-to-production "Generation EQ" concept vehicle marks the launch of an architecture for battery-electric vehicles across all models.  

Dieter Zetsche: "In 2007, the e-smart was a pioneer of electric motoring.  We're now flipping the switch.  We're ready for the launch of an electric product offensive that will cover all vehicle segments, from the compact to the luxury class."