Mercedes Benz Electric Compact Car, The EQC, Is Coming To The US

The 2020 Mercedes-EQ EQC small EV was a major turning point for Mercedes since it was the first real all-electric vehicle from the legendary manufacturer. Its worldwide release had originally been scheduled to include the Americas. It was difficult for Mercedes to produce enough of them to fulfill European demand. Since people in North America were slower to adopt EVs, it was decided not to dilute the supply too much. The United States may wait to introduce the Mercedes-EQ EQS flagship and the EQE lineup of sedans and sport utility vehicles. Regarding North America, the EQC was no longer a consideration.

MotorTrend inquired of Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s Board of Management, whether or not the next version of the EQC-Class would be available in North America.

“Absolutely,” Källenius said in an interview at the Paris premiere of the 2024 Mercedes-EQ EQE SUV and the more potent 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV.

After 2025, on the new MB.EA dedicated EV platform for core mid-size and bigger cars (think next-gen EQC, EQE, and EQS), the EQC will be available to customers in the United States. While the existing EQS and EQE are now running on the new EVA2 platform, they will eventually switch to MB.EA.

Expansion of Available Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

The MB.EA is now under development with two other specialized EV platforms. Mercedes will debut its new Modular Architecture (MMA) platform in the latter half of 2024. The Mercedes EQA and EQB, their entry-level luxury automobiles, will utilize this platform. There are now seven different A-Class and B-Class models, but that number will drop to four starting today. MMA vehicles are equipped with a high-voltage 800-volt system. Mercedes will make the transition to 800-volt systems over a few years. In 2024, MMA will debut with the next Mercedes-Benz operating system. It will allow more individualized automobiles and more frequent software upgrades to keep them modern.

High-Performance, Widespread Electric Drive System

Mercedes employs motors created in collaboration with suppliers ZF and Valeo in its current EVA2 platform cars. Still, the company is working on its motors for future models to boost efficiency and decrease costs.

Christophe Starzynski, vice president of Electric Vehicle Architecture & Development E-Drive, said that the manufacturer would pursue two distinct avenues in electric drive systems. The mainstay motor will be based on the drive unit of the 745-mile-plus-range Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept. Although production vehicles won’t be as hyper-efficient or slippery as the EQXX concept, which is extremely aerodynamic and does not have amenities like massaging seats or advanced audio systems that add weight, it is the forerunner to new models coming in the middle of the decade, including the EQC.

Mercedes’ next-generation electric drive systems are being developed in-house, with manufacturing set to begin in Untertürkheim by the end of 2024.

The AMG Model Will Have V-8-Sized Muscle

Since the top-tier performance AMG cars need a different engine to race around the Nürburgring, Starzynski argues that another market for electric drive systems has opened up.

To build next-generation ultra-high-performance motors for AMG, the carmaker purchased electric motor manufacturer YASA to access axial flux motor technology. According to Markus Schäfer, a Mercedes-Benz Group Board of Management member and the chief technical officer responsible for research and procurement, these motors are lighter and provide greater power and torque.