Test electric car Mercedes EQE 350+: Long-range thanks to low resistance
An e-car must above all have good aerodynamics and it will run enduringly. The economical, luxurious Mercedes EQE proves this once again impressively.
(Bild: Schwarzer)
- Christoph M. Schwarzer
(Hier finden Sie die deutsche Version des Beitrags)
More than two years' delivery time: at times, customers had to wait a long time for the Mercedes W123. It was the symbol of the upper middle class of the late 1970s. Several generations later, Mercedes introduced an electric counterpart to the E-Class: the EQE, without a combustion engine. Instead with a 90 kWh traction battery. We got into the EQE 350+ to see if this electric car once again has what it takes to define an entire vehicle segment.
High quality
No one needs to explain to Mercedes how to build a sedan. The skill is obvious. The criticism that has been levelled at the interior quality of the new C-Class, for example, is incomprehensible with the EQE. Qualitatively, everything is just right here. The expensive AMG Line interior and exterior package of the test car makes the interior as high quality as you would expect from the brand. Even the smell is pleasant.
It is less easy to answer the question of what the EQE actually wants to be. I see it more as the electric interpretation of the CLS theme than as an alternative to the E-Class. The basic shape is similarly flowing as in the original CLS, and besides, there is no T-model. The advantage of this body design is the aerodynamics: admittedly, a cW value of 0.22 is now the norm for the top representatives of battery-electric saloons. A few years ago, such values were only available for research vehicles.
457 km practical range
The combination of high energy content in the traction battery (cell chemistry: NMC 811) and low air resistance promises a good range. In fact, the Mercedes EQE works wonderfully on the long tour. The average consumption was 19.7 kWh/100 km. A good value that results in a calculated range of 457 km. That is less than the 623 km in WLTP. But the power consumption of 21.3 kWh (corresponding to 413 km) at target speed (display: 132 km/h) shows that longer motorway journeys with few and short stops are easily feasible. Once again it becomes clear that a streamlined sedan body is the best prerequisite for efficiency.
Mercedes EQE 350+ (7 Bilder)
Before we go into the suitability for travelling in more detail, we should mention the minimum value of 15.5 kWh/100 km (equal to 581 km) on an overland journey and the maximum value of 32.2 kWh/100 km (271 km) with unleaded foot. If you want to achieve even better consumption values, you should pay attention to the tyres: The test car with AMG package had 255 tyres on 20-inch rims. Less is more when it comes to range.
Plug & Charge works - finally
The Mercedes EQE has proven that it can handle Plug & Charge at the fast charging stations of Ionity and Aral Pulse. All you have to do is plug in the cable, and the rest - i.e. identification and activation - is automated. This feature is important because it was one of the few points where Tesla still had an advantage. Now the fans of the US brand are concentrating on determining whether a Tesla can complete this plug & charge process in less time than the competition. Everyone else will probably give this competition only little relevance.
For the time being, the Mercedes EQE is largely alone in its segment. An Audi A6 e-tron is only available as a study, with the production model due in 2024. BMW's turn comes a little earlier, as the i5 should be in German dealerships from the summer of 2023. As soon as the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is available, a comparison will be obvious. Can the 800-volt system from South Korea prove to have an advantage in charging over the 400-volt system of the Mercedes?
Targeted preconditioning for charging stops
On the motorway, we stood for less than ten minutes at each charging stop during the test. It was simply not necessary to store more power. 170 kW peak power with direct current (alternating current at the wallbox: 11 or 22 kW) doesn't seem like much when a Porsche Taycan can do 270 kW. As impressive as it may be to read very high numbers on the display with the Porsche or an electric car from the Hyundai Group, in the end it is always the combination of excellent aerodynamics, large battery capacity and high charging power that ensures speed. This now also includes preconditioning, i.e. the targeted preheating or cooling of the battery system before a planned charging stop. At outside temperatures of over 30 degrees, there was no noticeable drop in charging performance in the EQE, even when driving hard.
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The EQE is available from the 300 (engine output 180 kW, from 63,427 euros with the manufacturer's share of the environmental bonus already deducted) to the AMG 53 4MATIC+ (460 kW, from 109,778 euros). Presumably, it is already possible to live generously with the basic model: The EQE 300 accelerates to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, and the range is likely to be the highest within the EQE spectrum with standard tyres and rear-wheel drive. And the base model is not really slow either - measured against what the average W123 customer was content with, even less so. As a reminder, the power range at the time was between 40 and 136 kW.
Comfort and safety
The test car EQE 350+ has an engine output of 215 kW, which is sufficient for a standard sprint in 6.4 seconds. It stops at 210 km/h. That is truly far more than enough. If you drive 130 to 180 km/h on the motorway, it feels comfortable. This is due to the effective sound insulation, which in the specific vehicle has been enhanced by the Acoustic Comfort Package, and the very skilfully tuned chassis, which benefits from the Airmatic adaptive air suspension, which is also available at extra cost.