Bold range claims for new luxury Merc.

Mercedes-Benz has clearly benchmarked Tesla in the development of its new battery-powered limousine.

Aware that some of its customers are being wooed by the technology, performance and range of Tesla’s offerings, Mercedes-Benz has reacted with the EQS.

Unlike the German company’s multitude ofhybrid vehicle offerings, EQS is a dedicated electric vehicle – engineered with the exclusive purpose of carrying batteries for fuel, instead of petrol or diesel.

Many traditionalists are keenly awaiting Mercedes-Benz’s new W223 S-Class, due for its global debut later this year, but some confirmed EQS numbers make for more interesting reading.

During an official conference call with shareholders, Daimler CEO Ola Källenius made mention of the EQS range capabilities – and they are astounding.

We know that EQS rides on its own dedicated platform and will be all-wheel drive, with each axle driven by a dedicated electric motor. Peak system outputs are not yet confirmed, but the expectation is for 350 kW and 760 Nm, which should give the EQS abundant performance.

In the electric vehicle space, especially when competing with Tesla, performance is a secondary consideration. Customers obsess about range.

Using its own battery chemistry, with energy packs assembled in the company’s Stuttgart-Untertürkheim facility, Mercedes-Benz says that its EQS is certified for more than 700 km of driving range on a single charge.

Most electric vehicle range claims are wildly optimistic and do not take temperature variation, high cruising speeds or topography into account. What makes the EQS range statistic so impressive, is that it is based on the newer (and stricter) Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).

Källenius knows that Mercedes-Benz needs to become a technology leader in the luxury electric vehicle segment and the ambitious EQS project is his vision of that reality.

If the production EQS is capable of delivering swift performance and 700 km of driving range, as it would appear to be the case, Mercedes-Benz has reason to be bullish about its limousine vehicle future.

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