Mercedes-benz EQS german automakers catching up in e-car – is daimler running with it??
The EQS is the new electric car from carmaker daimler.
With the EQS, daimler is launching a new electric s-class on the market. It could soon become a symbol of catch-up for the german automotive industry if the stuttgart company doesn’t squander its trump card.
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A touchscreen across the entire front. Improved aerodynamics. Over-the-air updates! And futuristic design. When daimler unveils its new EQS electric car on thursday, the group says it will be nothing less than the "start of a new era for the company". The new flagship is visually striking thanks to its frameless doors, a windshield that merges seamlessly into the hood section, and a 1.41-meter-wide display on the inside.
Beating the drum is part of the business – but car experts are indeed joining in the chorus: "With the EQS and the other models like the EQA, mercedes is clearly catching up in electromobility," says ferdinand dudenhoffer of the center automotive research. The significance of the EQS "for mercedes’ reputation as a luxury brand is immense. The vehicle is a technology driver and a symbol of mercedes’ innovative capability. Overall, the EQS is the most significant mercedes new car of the last ten years."Under its new boss, ola kallenius, mercedes has consistently focused on a new, proprietary e-vehicle architecture. "this sets mercedes apart from many others, including BMW, which work with hybrid architectures," says dudenhoffer. Hybrid architectures are vehicle platforms that are equally suitable for electric and internal combustion engines, but this entails technical disadvantages.
Stefan bratzel from the center of automotive management has already taken a look at the EQS. The car is the new flagship in the e-car sector that everyone has been waiting for and that daimler has been lacking, he says. The range of 770 kilometers according to the new WLTP test standard is "impressive" and the charging performance is very fast. In his ranking of the most innovative automakers of battery-electric vehicles, he believes that this will "move daimler up from the midfield" because the innovations of the new car are "very relevant for customers". And that’s the way it is with a luxury luxury car: innovations are first introduced there, because the wealthy customers are most willing to pay for them – but later the innovations are also rolled out to lower-priced vehicles, because then the costs for the development can be spread over more cars.
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Daimler has long slept through e-mobility
Critics accuse daimler of having strategically believed in a golden future for gasoline and diesel cars for too long and of having missed valuable years in the development of electric cars. Not only in the USA (tesla) and China (nio, baidu), but also in europe itself, the e-car competition is now huge. But now daimler is going full throttle. Daimler is aiming for nothing less than "the leading position" in electric drives and vehicle software, group CEO ola kallenius announced in fall. Whether this is realistic in view of the technological lead of major competitors remains to be seen: in the e-age, established manufacturers not only have to compete with long-standing rivals, but also hold their own against digital corporations such as google, apple or alibaba.
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By 2022, daimler now wants to electrify the entire portfolio of mercedes-benz cars and offer customers various electrified alternatives in every segment – from smart cars to large SUVs. by 2030, the automaker aims to achieve more than half of its global car sales with plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles. "it is our ambition to offer a completely CO2-neutral fleet of new passenger cars by 2039," daimler says.
The Group has now completely overhauled its MBUX multimedia system, with more than 50 functions already available as updates "over the air"; the "drive pilot" for autonomous driving in slow-moving traffic will soon be available for the electric S-Class EQS as well. Although daimler is still struggling with dozens of control units and software codes, and a uniform, self-developed operating system will not be available until 2024. But the EQS could nevertheless soon become a symbol of the german automotive industry’s race to catch up. Because in the last few months, more and more vehicles have come onto the market that will make the air thinner for Tesla – and many more are planned. Volkswagen, for example, is leading the way with the ID family. Although some technical problems were encountered, the ID.3 and the ID.4 are fully committed to electromobility and more space in the interior with their own e-platform. Audi brought the e-tron. And porsche the taycan.
Even when it turns the corner, it catches the eyes of passers-by. A gran turismo that could hardly be more classic and elegant. Audi has a new eye-catcher. And that’s not all: the e-tron GT also impressively demonstrates the unbelievable driving dynamics that an electric drive can lead to. Even hardened "petrol heads" might start to wonder here. Audi takes driving to a new level with this four-door coupe.
Those familiar with the scene will surely object: there is already the porsche taycan, also an electric high-flyer. And it shares the technology with the e-tron GT. is right. But the Audi engineers succeeded in giving their GT more quietness and smoothness, the typical travel qualities of a gran turismo. Nevertheless, the sportiness that inevitably results from the high performance figures does not fall by the wayside.
Bare figures are likely to miss their mark here, however. 530 hp and 630 newton meters are a lot, but so are many other sports cars. Even the sprint from zero to 100 km/h in four seconds can be beaten by some. But it’s the way that happens. In the e-tron GT, everything is dynamic, yet smooth and quiet. You feel like you’re floating half a meter above the road, and when you accelerate you feel like you’re being released by a giant rubber band. It’s driving a car in another dimension.
The squat silhouette of the e-tron GT – it is flatter than an A7 sportback – presented the engineers with enormous challenges; after all, the large battery pack had to be accommodated in the floor assembly. "Flat is the new premium in electric cars," says audi, which is probably also to be understood as a small nod to Tesla. The e-tron GT takes direct aim at the model S. And with 99.800 euros, the electric gran turismo also places itself in the neighborhood of the californian carmaker in terms of price.
The seating position is perfect and the interior ambience is of a high quality, a paradigm of audi’s. Amazing that even adults are comfortably accommodated in the back. The designers must have fought for every millimeter, since the elegantly sloping roof line had to be sacrificed under no circumstances. This even went so far as to give the e-tron GT no tailgate like the A7 sportback, but "only" a trunk lid. Still, there’s plenty of room underneath for luggage. If more storage space is needed, the rear seat backrests can be folded in two.
The e-tron GT is said to travel up to 488 kilometers on a single battery charge, at least in theory. Even if it’s 100 kilometers less in everyday driving and 150 kilometers less in winter, even this range doesn’t make the gran turismo a luxury second car in the household. Especially since the cells can be recharged extremely quickly while on the move. For this reason, the audi has an 800-volt system, twice the usual voltage. In the best case, up to 270 kW of charging power (direct current) can flow into the battery. Within five minutes, 100 kilometers of driving would have been "refueled". The appropriate HPC (high performance charging) pillars are usually set up by ionity throughout europe. The goal: a station every 120 kilometers. Audi has signed a framework agreement with ionity, allowing e-tron drivers to benefit from a significantly reduced electricity price.
infotainment remains a fascinating feature at audi. Eleven antennas, all invisibly integrated, connect the e-tron GT to the outside world. this world is displayed on the central screen, via google earth, in the highest brilliance. And anyone who familiarizes themselves with the e-tron GT for a little longer will not only learn to love its special driving feel, but will also appreciate the many small conveniences in their daily dealings with the car. Everything has been thought of. Even wireless charging of the cell phone has been given a few more thoughts than usual in ingolstadt. It doesn’t lie horizontally somewhere in a flat tray to fly into the footwell at the next bend, but is tucked upright under a cover in the center console. But to make sure you don’t forget it there, a voice sounds as soon as the door is opened: "your smartphone is still in the vehicle."
The latter is an all-electric sports sedan and was introduced at the end of 2019. In 2020, porsche sold more than 20 cars worldwide.000 units. "trending upward," says the company, which claims the range is up to 484 kilometers. The price starts at 83.520 euros. Charging power is up to 270 kw, which means up to 100 kilometers of range can be charged in five minutes. Software functions can also be installed here by means of over-the-air updates. In 2030, more than 80 percent of new porsche models sold are expected to have an electric motor. "a big step will be the next macan, which will then only be built as an e-version. Very courageous and future-oriented," says dudenhoffer.
audi is also launching more models on the market. By the end of 2021, seven battery-electric models will be on offer. "this will more than double the number of all-electric vehicles in our portfolio," says audi. The Ingolstadt-based company is also planning "more than 20 all-electric models and further expansion of the plug-in hybrid portfolio. By 2025, we will achieve around one-third of our global sales with electric models."audi is investing around 15 billion euros in electrification up to 2025.