Mercedes-Benz flips the switch: Generation EQ – mobility revisited

[tristatez28lt1]

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC spy shots

Generation EQ concept from the 2016 Paris auto show have been spotted.

The test mule is using the body of a GLC Coupe to hide its internals but a number of clues give away the true identity.

One of the shots shows the tester plugged in and charging. We also have a shot where a raised hood reveals a notably bare engine bay, confirming this isn’t simply a plug-in hybrid. In addition, we also see an electric symbol on the windshield and it appears that a flat battery pack is located in the floor.

Mercedes has confirmed that its volume electric cars that will form a new EQ range—the name stands for “Electric Intelligence”—will ride on a modular “skateboard” platform where the battery is stored in the floor and an electric motor is mounted at one or both axles.

Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ concept, 2016 Paris auto show
This first model will likely be called an EQC to reflect its size and positioning being in line with the C-Class. It will be built at Mercedes’ plant in Bremen, Germany. The plant is the lead plant for the C-Class and GLC models and will also start production of a GLC F-CELL hydrogen fuel cell car later in 2017.

In the Generation EQ concept, two electric motors deliver a combined output of approximately 400 horsepower. They form a “through-the-road” all-wheel-drive system and promise 0-60 mph acceleration of less than 5.0 seconds. It’s likely the EQC will offer varying levels of power and range to suit multiple price points. All Mercedes is willing to state is that the battery will have more than 70 kilowatt-hours and range of at least 300 miles on a single charge.

The battery will be a lithium-ion unit sourced from fellow Daimler subsidiary Deutsche Accumotive. The German firm already has a battery factory up and running and is extending this in preparation for Mercedes’ next-generation electric cars.

Look for a debut of this electric SUV, whatever it’s called, in late 2018 or early the following year. Mercedes will follow it up with at least nine more electric cars by 2025. There will be both sedans and SUVs and possibly even a sports car.

 

[Wolfgang]

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/next/e-mobility/vehicle-architecture-with-open-space/

 

[tristatez28lt1]

Mercedes-Benz' Electric SUV Spied Again, This Time Using GLC Body

Mercedes-Benz has commenced a campaign that involves testing electric vehicle prototypes with different bodies.

The German brand’s specialists were spotted last week by our spy photographers while they were testing a Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe that had an electric powertrain. The vehicle was a "mule," which means that it was an early prototype of something else, but the employment of a GLC Coupe body revealed a part of the company’s intentions with its new range of EVs, named EQ.

This week has just begun, but we already have a set of spyshots of another Mercedes-Benz mule with electric drive. This time, the GLC was chosen as the base for the test vehicle, which raises our curiosity on the planned range prepared by the three-pointed-star, which will include two SUVs that have unspecified dimensions.

Just like the prototype that we wrote about last week, the body of this GLC has been slightly modified. You can notice a set of side skirts, different wheel arch ornaments, an altered front bumper, and a differed rear bumper.

The badges have been covered with tape, but you do not have to be an expert in Mercedes-Benz cars to spot one of their products without the signature logos.

Interestingly, the modifications that have been applied to the GLC Coupe and the GLC are similar, which leads us to think that the new body panels have been placed there to conceal the components of the electric drivetrain.

The presence of side skirts brings us to believe that the batteries have been inserted under the passenger compartment, while the rest of the parts are under the hood.

It is wise to note that the current range of automobiles from Mercedes-Benz will not lend their bodies for the EQ branch. Instead, the latter will get separate designs, which are kept under wraps by the German company while these prototypes are employed to check the electric powertrain

 

[Rainer271]

Mercedes open to creating AMG-branded versions of its EQ models

Mercedes-AMG says it is open to adding AMG-branded models to its upcoming range of EQmodels.

Previewed last year, the German brand’s EQ family will comprise of its next-generation range of vehicles that use some form of electrification for power and according to Mercedes R&D boss Ola Kallenius, AMG and electric vehicles could work together.

“I don’t think they are opposite extremes. AMG has always been about driving performance and offering customers a superior experience, but at the same time — and I think this is the sweet spot of AMG — they are cars you can really drive every day. Electrification will find its way into AMG. It’s not impossible that you’ll have a fully electric version or an AMG variant of an EQ,” Kallenius told Autocar earlier this year.

Last year, Mercedes-AMG chairman Tobias Moers said that an all-electric AMG supercar was on the cards and will act as a spiritual successor to the SLS Electric Drive.

Speaking about this, Kallenius said “The SLS Electric Drive was a preview of what the future could look like. That was a research project, a know-how builder for AMG to get our heads around electrification. It’s just a matter of time until we go more and more electric.”

Source: Carscoops

 

[Wolfgang]

SXSW and Mercedes-Benz Will Lead A Joint Tech Conference At The Frankfurt Auto Show

AUSTIN, Texas - South by Southwest, the Austin, Texas-based tech jamboree held every March, will venture out of the Longhorn State for the first time, partnering with Mercedes-Benz to host a tech conference at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September.

The three-day event, called the “me Convention” will focus on the future of mobility and its implications for “every aspect of the 21stcentury social fabric,” according to the carmaker. The partnership between one of the world’s oldest automakers and the popular tech carnival represents a significant departure from the traditional auto show model, a billion-dollar industry.

“We’ve been doing these auto shows for 100 years, and they’re evolving,” said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG’s Board of Management and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, after announcing the partnership at the SXSW conference on Friday.

The world’s leading automotive shows have lost ground in recent years to fresher tech events. In January, several automakers chose to stage their most significant reveals at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas a week ahead of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which historically has opened the auto show season.

Across the country, the Los Angeles Auto Show is taking a proactive approach this year, hosting a four-day tech event called Mobility LA before the car show begins. The conference will bring together carmakers, tech companies, entrepreneurs, designers, developers and investors under the umbrella of discussing the future of transportation, including ridesharing, infotainment, and autonomous vehicles.

Mobile World Congress, which took place in Barcelona last week, is also becoming an increasingly popular venue for automotive thought leaders from Ford, Volkswagen, and other car companies to discuss next-generation mobility.

Details on the me Convention at the Frankfurt auto show are scant, but Mercedes has already announced event’s hashtag: #createthenew.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaclyntrop/2017/03/11/sxsw-and-mercedes-benz-will-lead-a-joint-tech-conference-at-the-frankfurt-auto-show/

 

[hannaz]

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[Wolfgang]

From the Geneva Auto Show 2017.

 

[Wolfgang]

 

[Rainer271]

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[Wolfgang]

Chancellor Angela Merkel may attend.

Daimler Livestream : Livestream: Offizielle Grundsteinlegung für die zweite Batteriefabrik bei Daimler-Tochter ACCUMOTIVE in Kamen am 22.05.2017 ab 14:15 Uhr - News

 

[Wolfgang]

Mercedes home storage batteries coming to the US

Mercedes-Benz Energy announced that it’s teamed up with Vivint Solar to provide batteries for storing energy at home in the United States, starting in California this spring.

Last year, Mercedes started a program in Germany that works almost exactly the same way. Mercedes uses the automotive-grade batteries it’s developed for electric vehicles, which can withstand a lot of charging and discharging cycles. The company partnered with utilities and solar companies in Germany to store surplus energy for later use in the home.

This is exactly the same kind of system. When new customers hire Vivint Solar to install an array of solar cells on their roof, they can choose to add up to eight 2.5 kWh Mercedes batteries. The modular battery systems allows the homeowner to customize energy storage depending on how much energy is being captured and used.

The batteries work as a backup if the grid goes down, but they also allow users to make the most of their solar energy. The system can store the energy created during the day for use later, when the sun goes down and energy usage rates often climb.

The main competitor for Mercedes-Benz Energy and Vivint is Tesla, which makes Powerwall storage batteries and now the solar cells. Tesla would like you to charge your Tesla car with energy from Tesla solar cells that’s been stored in a Tesla Powerwall, but you as a consumer are not required to buy into a particular ecosystem. Mercedes and Vivint are only the latest option of what will likely be many more in the future.

Mercedes home storage batteries coming to the US

 

[Wolfgang]

Team EQ.

 

[Wolfgang]

The battery for the 2019 EQ C is in preparation, to start production in 2018.

EQ C battery demo

The battery for the new 2017 smart electric drive.

Photo via Steffen Seibert twitter. Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with a long term employee.

The battery for the 2017 S-Class facelift.

Daimler legt Grundstein für eine der größten Batteriefabriken der Welt - Mercedes-Benz Passion Blog / Mercedes Benz, smart, Maybach, AMG

 

[Wolfgang]

The second EQ concept may be shown in Frankfurt. Might be Vision G-Code inspired, but with another, EQ, grille?

Mercedes to unveil electric hatchback concept at Frankfurt
New concept will preview entry-level model for firm's electric EQ range; due to go on sale in 2020 priced around £35,000
Mercedes to unveil electric hatchback concept at Frankfurt | Autocar

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[Cashmere]

Seems like the forthcoming electric hatch will be produced at Rastatt:


Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant to produce compact electric vehicles of the product and technology brand EQ


Mercedes-Benz is consistently pursuing its electric offensive: The Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant will produce compact class EQ models in the future. The decision is based on a declaration of intent, which the company has set up with the works council. Now, together with the sites in Bremen and Sindelfingen, all three German Mercedes-Benz car plants will produce electric vehicles of the product and technology brand EQ. “Our Mercedes-Benz car plants in Germany play a decisive role in electric mobility. They are centres of competence for the production of EVs in the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars. Thanks to highly flexible structures, we are able to integrate electric vehicles in the regular series production in our plants. At the same time, we are increasing our competitiveness with the efficient integration of Industry 4.0 applications. This allows us to benefit from the opportunities of electric mobility, while considerably reducing the required investment,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain.

Future EQ models can be integrated in the series production of existing Mercedes-Benz plants on four continents. Already today, thanks to highly flexible structures, our plants can produce vehicles with different drive types on the same line. Which foreign locations will produce further EQ models within the production network will be decided on the basis of market demand.

The Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt is the lead plant in the global production compound for compact cars. Already in 2015, the plant management and works council reached an agreement for competitiveness and future development – the so called future plan and agreed to produce the next Mercedes-Benz compact car generation in Rastatt. “With the new declaration of intent, we are shaping our future, thereby creating good prospects for our workforce in the coming age of electric mobility. The Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt will be the centre of competence for the production of new compact EQ models. In the year of our 25th anniversary, this is great news for our highly motivated workforce,” says Thomas Geier, Site Manager Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant.

Building on the experience gained during the series production of electric vehicles at the location, the workforce is being prepared for the new models and further technological developments with comprehensive training programmes. The Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant is running at high capacity utilization, and currently creating the conditions for the production start of the next compact car generation in 2018. This means constructing two new body shops on the site, as well as a training centre. The new training centre is the central facility for training the plant’s workforce, as well as for the employees in the worldwide compact car production compound.

“We are making a decisive step towards digitalization and new technologies. Having met all the requirements, the Rastatt team is ready for the challenges. Together with our ambitious colleagues, we as a works council want to help to shape the change in the automotive industry for electric mobility. We have laid the foundation for this,” says Ullrich Zinnert, Chairman of the Works Council at the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant.

Management and works council of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt have agreed on the production of electric vehicles of the product and technology brand EQ

Electric offensive at Mercedes-Benz Cars

With the Concept EQ, Mercedes-Benz Cars is presenting a new generation of electric vehicles. More than ten new electric passenger cars are scheduled to be launched by 2022: in all segments from smart to large SUVs. Ten billion euros will be invested in the expansion of the electric fleet in the next few years. The new electric vehicles will be produced within the global, highly flexible and efficient production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars with plants on four continents. The first EQ series model – the EQC – will roll off the line at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen in the year 2019. In addition to that, luxury-class EQ models will be produced at the plant in Sindelfingen. The company assumes that the proportion of electric vehicles in the total unit sales of Mercedes-Benz will be between 15 and 25 percent by 2025. In addition to traction batteries, ACCUMOTIVE will produce batteries for Mercedes-Benz energy storage units and 48-volt-systems. The pioneering 48-volt on-board power supply is celebrating its premiere in the new generation of the S-Class and will be gradually introduced in various model series.

CASE as the basis

CASE – these letters will shape the future of Mercedes-Benz Cars. They stand for the strategic pillars of connectivity (Connected), autonomous driving (Autonomous), flexible use (Shared & Services) and electric drive systems (Electric), which will be intelligently combined by the company. Already today, Mercedes-Benz Cars plays a leading role in all four areas. All activities in the area of connecti

vity are focused on the digital brand Mercedes me, which gives customers access to an extensive and personalized range of services by app, website or straight from their car. On the way to autonomous driving, Mercedes Benz has for years been a key driver of development and has repeatedly set the benchmark. To this end, the Mercedes engineers use so-called sensor fusion. The data from different sensors, such as cameras, ultrasound and radar, are intelligently combined and analysed. With car2go the inventor of the automobile is also a pioneer when it comes to sharing. With around two million users, the company is today the world’s biggest provider of free-floating car-sharing. As far as the electrification of the powertrain is concerned, Mercedes Benz is pursuing an integrated approach. Under the EQ brand, it is developing an ecosystem including not just the actual vehicle, but also a comprehensive offer around electric mobility. This extends from intelligent services to energy storage units for private and commercial customers as well as charging technologies, such as inductive charging, to sustainable recycling. To enable all four pillars to develop its full effectiveness, the relevant activities are being brought together in an independent entity.

About the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant

The Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant in Germany is the biggest employer in the region, with a workforce of around 6.500 employees. Within the global Mercedes-Benz production network, the Rastatt plant is the lead plant for the production of compact cars worldwide. The A-Class, B-Class and the compact SUV GLA are manufactured at the location. In 2016, more than 300,000 vehicles rolled off its production lines. The production compound of the current compact car generation further includes the plant in Kecskemét, Hungary (production: B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake), the Chinese production location BBAC (Beijing-Benz Automotive Co. Ltd – joint venture between Daimler AG and BAIC Motor; production: GLA) and the Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive (production: A-Class). In 2017, the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Link: Third centre of competence for EQ models in Germany: Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant to produce compact electric vehicles of the product and technology brand EQ - Automotive World

 

[klier]

An all-electric next gen A class family would be more than welcome imho.

 

[Sniper]

"The pioneering 48-volt on-board power supply is celebrating its premiere in the new generation of the S-Class" w223? or w222 with new engines?

 

[Rainer271]

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[Wolfgang]

View attachment 419478

Daimler AG‏: Alliances and mergers will drive progress: Why collaboration is crucial to #selfdriving and #FutureMobility http://mb4.me/bI1sNYmo

View attachment 419479

 

[SKY]

This is how things are going to go moving forward. Small bubbles that we are not allowed to drive, probably not even own.