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The Mercedes EQB, another in the German giant’s roll-out of an all-electric sub-brand of cars, all sold under the ‘EQ’ banner. First up the ramp was the EQC mid-sized SUV, based on the GLC model, and then an EQA – similarly based on the GLA crossover – was announced. There’s an EQS luxury electric saloon on the way, but that’s it’s own model; what the EQC and the EQA have done is to simply put EQ-specific styling parts onto the relevant GLC and GLA body shapes. To that end, the EQB will be a GLB, with full-width light bars front and rear, a smoothed-off radiator grille and aero-optimised alloy wheels.
What will its rivals be?
There are very few seven-seat electric vehicles available, most of them being MPV adaptations of vans due to the space required to fit an electric car’s running gear and battery pack onboard. Thus, the EQB promises to be unique at first: it is a seven-seat SUV but a compact one, based (roughly) on the same floor pan as a Mercedes A-Class, albeit extended.
Any tech info?
Mercedes has confirmed that the launch model will be called the Mercedes EQB 350 4Matic, which makes it more powerful than the first EQA launched. The EQB will have 292hp (215kW) from its electric motors and can be charged at up to 100kW. That means 10-80 per cent charge in around half-an-hour, with energy usage quoted as 19.2kWh/100km. Beyond this, Mercedes says it will launch further EQB derivatives, with both front- and all-wheel drive, varying levels of power output and a battery pack line-up starting at 66.5kWh.
What will the range be like?
For the one confirmed Mercedes-EQ EQB 350 4Matic, the claim is of up to 419km of driving on a single charge. That is largely thanks to the impressive drag coefficient of the EQB, which is a slippery 0.28 – a low number for an SUV.
Expectations?
They’re high, as the key thing will be seeing how Mercedes has managed to package an EV platform in the body of a compact seven-seat SUV. The GLB doesn’t have the biggest third row of seats as it is, and a small boot if there’s a full complement of people onboard, while Mercedes is clear in saying the EQB’s back two chairs are only suitable for those no taller than 5ft 4in. Having said that, it only loses 60 litres to an EQB when all its rear-most seats are folded down, the EQB packing 1,620 litres of carrying capacity, so if the 350 4Matic drives well then Mercedes could have stolen a key march on all its rivals with this versatile zero-emissions vehicle.