Frankfurt: Daimler AG presented a battery-powered counterpart to their top luxury sedan from Mercedes-Benz when the German automaker pushed ahead with their challenge to the electric upstart Tesla.
The EQS is the first Mercedes-Benz vehicle to be built on a frame that was designed from the start as an electric car instead of using components from a combustion vehicle.
Mercedes emphasized the technological features of the vehicle by equipping it with a curved touchscreen that extends across the entire front of the vehicle interior instead of a traditional dashboard. Tesla and other automakers are also adding large screens to their interiors.
The EQS is the sibling of the company’s large S-Class combustion sedan, the luxury brand’s flagship, which sells for $ 110,000 and up. The two cars are targeting the same upper end of the market, although the EQS stands out for being built on top of the company’s electric vehicle (EVA) architecture. Mercedes is not yet saying how much the EQS will cost when it hits customers later this year.
Daimler said the vehicle will travel 770 kilometers (478 miles) when fully charged under the test standard used in the European Union. The company offers one year of free charging through Ionity, a network of highway charging stations built by a group of major automakers.
German automakers were slower to develop only all-electric models until stricter environmental regulations and sales that were lost to California-based Tesla urged them to step up their efforts. Volkswagen sold 422,000 electric vehicles last year and developed the ID.3, a compact that it hopes will win over mass-market buyers while the Porsche division brought out the Taycan sports car. BMW launched the iX3 electric SUV.