Being one of the pioneers of electric mobility in Germany, Mercedes has just begun testing their second generation EQC SUV. Our spies caught a first prototype leaving the R&D-department in downtown Stuttgart for the first time. It was testing alongside a current ICE-powered GLC.
Mercedes’ next-generation EQC should be among the best luxury mid-size SUVs when it arrives in late 2025. With a starting price of around 70,000 Euros, it is expected to compete with models such as the Audi Q4 e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, and Tesla Model Y.
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The new EQC SUV will be based on the all-new EQC saloon which is scheduled for another 2025 or a 2026 launch and – in long term – shall replace today’s petrol and diesel powered C-Class. A C-Class wagon will not be continued, the gap it leaves being filled with this EQC SUV.
Under the sleek EQC body is the new MB.EA architecture for medium-sized and large vehicles. Contrary to what was originally planned, the drive technology presented in the EQXX (the so-called eATS 2.0 drive train) is not only finding its way into the smaller MMA vehicles, i.e. the electric A-Class successors, but also into the MB.EA series.
Means: 800-volt technology, a modern, efficiency-enhancing silicon carbide inverter, still more conventional radial flux motors with an expected 250 to 500 hp, rear or all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering and – unlike the EQXX – a two-speed gearbox to reduce consumption even further. On the battery side, Mercedes will significantly increase the current energy density, the 110 kWh battery in the EQS comes to 550 Wh per liter, in the future up to 800 Wh/l should be possible. This means: More energy can be stored in the same space, or the batteries can become significantly smaller and lighter. Around 100 kWh are also conceivable in the EQC and EQC SUV, which ideally would be enough for almost 1000 kilometers.
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