CEO talks electric now during annual meeting
Would be longest on-sale range, for now
Last week, Mercedes-Benz previewed the EQS electric sedan and said that its impressive drag coefficient, combined with other steps taken to make the car maximise range, could give it a 700 km range. Now the CEO of the company is saying that the car could go even further.
Earlier today during the Daimler Annual Meeting, CEO Ola Källenius said that the coming Mercedes-Benz EQS, set to be revealed fully next month, would have a battery range of 770 km on the WLTP cycle. That would make it the longest-range EV on sale, at least until the Tesla Model S Plaid+ begins deliveries next year with a rating of 842 km.
Even more impressively, the CEO said that the EQS will be able to take on a charge worth 300 km of range in just 15 minutes, a move that would make it one of the quickest EVs to charge as well.
Speaking with reporters following the event, AMG boss Philipp Sheimer said that an AMG version of the EQS would join the lineup in the second half of this year. It would go after Porsche’s Taycan and the Model S Plaid, and become part of a soon to grow range of electrified go-fast models from Mercedes-AMG.
Following the EQS, an EQB and EQE will be launched later this year, and then Mercedes-Benz Vans is planning to join the party as well as Mercedes-Benz trucks, which expects a 500 km tractor cab to arrive to market for 2024.
Källenius also said that Mercedes-Benz would have to work to grow the world’s charging infrastructure to support the new EVs. That includes expansion to the group effort Ionity charging network, which has installed fast-charging stations across Europe.
As a result, the CEO says that Mercedes-Benz now hopes to have a carbon-neutral passenger car range much sooner than originally set out in its Ambition2039 plan set out just two years ago.
