
Daimler raises the curtain on the Mercedes EQS
Many electric cars have been hyped in advance as “Tesla killers”, but the role model has never really been achieved. Now, however, the electric car pioneer’s supremacy could be in jeopardy, because the Daimler engineers have put in a lot of effort. The first thing that catches the eye is the range of 770 km (470 miles). To achieve this, Daimler has introduced a new 400-volt battery generation with a higher energy density. They offer a usable net energy content of 107.8 kWh, which is about 26 percent more than Daimler’s previous top electric model EQC. The innovative battery management software developed in-house enables updates over the air (OTA). In this way, the energy management of the EQS remains up-to-date over the lifecycle; the range is likely to increase over the vehicle’s lifetime as a result of these updates through improved BMS algorithms.
In terms of cell chemistry, a major step has been achieved in terms of sustainability: the cobalt content has been reduced to ten percent, and the optimised active material consists of nickel, cobalt and manganese in a ratio of 8:1:1.
The range is optimised by a sophisticated management of the high-voltage and low-voltage consumers and numerous recuperation options, which are automatically readjusted by the vehicle assistant. The recuperation power reaches 290 kW; all assistance systems in the car, including map navigation, collaborate to optimise the range. And once the battery is empty, sufficient energy for a further 300 kilometres can be recharged at a suitable charging station within 15 minutes. The EQS can absorb up to 200 kW during charging. According to experts, this is more than any other BEV with a 400V electrical system – with the exception of Tesla, however, which can do a little more.
To get the power of the batteries on the road, Daimer has developed a modular and scalable drive concept that can also be transferred to other models. Depending on the configuration, the EQS has either rear-wheel drive with one motor or four-wheel drive with two motors; the total output can be up to 485 kW. When the driver puts his foot down, the EQS accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds – and Mercedes claims that the power electronics are designed to deliver this acceleration several times in a row.
The engines are not off-the-shelf, but specially developed for Daimler’s luxury class. They are permanently excited synchronous machines, which are particularly smooth-running due to their mechanical construction and their acoustic decoupling from the car body. The arrangement of the magnets within the rotors was optimised according to NVH criteria (Noise, Vibration, Harness); at the same time, this design reduces the use of rare earths.
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