Whether it’s for a large nuclear family or a small extended family: as a seven-seater, the new EQB offers space for many family configurations and a wide variety of transport needs. This gives it an exceptional position among compact electric cars. The two seats in the third row can be used by people up to 1.65 metres tall, and child seats can also be fitted there. The new EQB will launch in Europe and China at the end of the year, followed by the US market launch in 2022. After the EQA, it is already the second all-electric compact car from Mercedes-EQ. The powerful and efficient electric drive, clever recuperation and predictive Navigation with Electric Intelligence are just some of the features that link it to the EQA. In Europe, the all-electric compact SUV will be launched as the EQB 300 4MATIC with 168 kW and as the EQB 350 4MATIC with 215 kW. The ranges according to WLTP are 419 kilometres in each case. Further variants to meet specific customer requirements will follow, including a particularly long-range version. The electric initiative from Mercedes-Benz Cars is accelerating as fast as the Mercedes-EQ models themselves: with the EQA, EQB, the electric business saloon EQE and the luxury saloon EQS, a total of four new models from Mercedes-EQ are being introduced in 2021, plus the Concept EQT as a harbinger of a new high level of quality in the small van segment. The Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid family, currently consisting of more than 20 model variants, is being renewed with electrified derivatives of the C-Class and the S-Class. For 2021, Mercedes-Benz Cars expects to increase the xEV share, i.e. of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, to around 13 percent. In addition, mild hybrids with a starter-generator and 48-volt system are conquering the product range, especially of the Group’s luxury vehicles.
The EQB starts as the EQB 300 4MATIC with 168 kW and as the EQB 350 4MATIC with 215 kW. The ranges according to WLTP are 419 kilometres in each case. Further variants to meet specific customer requirements will follow, including a particularly long-range version. An asynchronous motor is used at the front axle. The electric motor, a fixed-ratio transmission with differential, the cooling system and the power electronics form a highly integrated, very compact unit – the electric powertrain (eATS). In the 4MATIC versions, the power demand between the front and rear axles is intelligently regulated 100 times per second, depending on the driving situation. The Mercedes-EQ philosophy is to optimise consumption by using the rear electric motor as often as possible, while the asynchronous motor at the front axle generates only minimal drag losses in partial-load operation. In overrun mode or during braking, the electric motors become alternators: their mechanical rotation is converted into electrical energy and used to charge the high-voltage battery – a process known as recuperation. In addition, the EQB 300 4MATIC and EQB 350 4MATIC also have an eATS on the rear axle with a newly developed permanently excited synchronous motor. It is extremely compact in design. In a permanently excited synchronous motor, the rotor of the AC motor is fitted with permanent magnets. The magnets – and thus the rotor – follow the rotating alternating current field in the stator windings. The engine is referred to as synchronous because the rotor turns at the same rate as the magnetic field of the stator. The frequency is adapted to the speed demanded by the driver in the frequency inverters of the power electronics. The advantages of this design include high power density, high efficiency and high output consistency.
The robust character of the interior is underlined by tubular elements in an aluminium look. They sit as handles in the doors, in the centre console and in the instrument panel on the passenger side. Depending on the design and equipment line, a spectacular backlit trim piece and rosé gold-coloured decorative elements on the air vents, seats and vehicle key provide clues to the electric character in the interior of the EQB. The instruments, with their electric car-specific displays, pick up on the same colour scheme with rosé gold-coloured and blue highlights. MBUX can be individually configured with the help of various options. Key advantages of the system: the powerful computer, brilliant screens and graphics, customisable presentation, full-colour head-up display, navigation with augmented reality and learning software and voice control activated by the keyword “Hey Mercedes”. The large body of the dashboard has a cut-out in the driver and passenger area. The driver faces a Widescreen Cockpit, with control and display via MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience). The information in the instrument cluster and on the media display is easily legible on the large, high-resolution screens. An emotive presentation underlines the comprehensibility of the intuitive control structure and offers brilliant graphics in superb visual quality. The Mercedes-EQ tile in the media display can be used to call up menus relating to charging options, electrical consumption and energy flow. The right-hand display within the instrument cluster is a wattmeter rather than a rev counter. The upper section shows the percentage of power, the lower section the recuperation. The left-hand instrument can be used to show whether the destination can be reached without an interim charging stop. The colours change according to the driving situation: during a boost process, for example, the display changes to white.
The EQB is fitted with a lithium-ion battery with a high energy density. It has a maximum voltage of 420 V and, with a nominal capacity of around 190 Ah, has a usable energy content of 66.5 kWh. The battery is part of the intelligent thermal management system of the EQB. To ensure that it is always kept within the optimum temperature range, it can be cooled or heated as required via a coolant-fed plate underneath the battery. The battery is made up of five modules and is located underneath the passenger compartment in the middle of the vehicle. An aluminium housing as well as the body structure of the vehicle itself protect the component from potentially touching the ground and against loose chippings. The battery housing is part of the vehicle structure and thus an integral part of the crash concept. If Navigation with Electric Intelligence is activated, the battery may also be pre-heated or cooled while driving in order to ensure that it is within the ideal temperature window for a rapid charging station. On the other hand, if the battery is cold when the car reaches the rapid charging station, a considerable proportion of the charging capacity will initially be used simply to warm it up. The net effect is to optimise the charging time – important, as a means of significantly shortening the charging stop. As for all other high-voltage batteries, Mercedes-Benz issues a battery certificate, thus providing a performance warranty. This is valid for eight years or a distance covered of 160,000 kilometres and guarantees a properly functioning high-voltage battery: the certificate also covers capacity loss in the battery.
The EQB achieves a very good value with a Cd value from 0.28. The frontal area A totals 2.53 m2. Among the most important aerodynamic measures are the completely closed cooling air control system in the upper section, the aerodynamically efficient front and rear aprons, a very smooth, almost completely enclosed underbody, specially optimised Aero wheels and specifically adapted front and rear wheel spoilers. The underbody panelling is also new. As an electric vehicle the EQB has no need for a transmission tunnel, exhaust system and fuel tank, these being replaced by a smooth-surfaced battery. The air flow along the underside of the body is guided virtually unimpeded from the front apron over the engine compartment panelling and three main floor panels through to the similarly enclosed rear axle and diffuser trim. Due to the longer wheelbase compared to the EQA and the slightly different battery position, the EQB has an additional trim piece in the main floor. This closes the gap between the battery and the axle fairing. In general, a lot of attention has been paid to details: the ribs that give strength to the underfloor panelling, for example, all run front to back. The aerodynamic development of the EQB was largely undertaken digitally. The ensuing measurements undertaken in the wind tunnel confirmed the high quality of the numerical simulation. The EQB builds on the very good aerodynamic basis of the GLB. A new aerodynamic setup was necessary due to the new bumpers and the resulting different diffuser angle. The cooling-air intake is also to a design specifically for an electric vehicle: since the EQB has less need of cooling than a car with a combustion engine, it was possible to completely blank off the upper section of the cooling-air intake. The lower section features adjustable radiator shutters.
