Several cars these days come with in-built air purification systems, which give you an instant reading of the Air Quality Index (AQI) inside and outside the vehicle. This is a very useful feature when the weather turns colder in North India and the subsequent degradation of air quality. But up in Gulmarg recently, the AQI inside the vehicle turned out to be worse than outside. Well, they were both thankfully in the single-digits but what was unique here was that the vehicle I was driving was not adding to the pollution numbers.
The Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 4MATIC SUV seems like a smorgasbord of letters and numbers. But it is rather simply the latest electric vehicle in the German carmaker’s lineup in India. This Rs 1.4 crore electric SUV sits in the upper echelons of the carmaker’s electric offerings and comes fully imported from their plant in Tuscaloosa in the US state of Alabama. Mercedes-Benz has been expanding its offerings of electric vehicles in India over the past couple of years.
But EVs in India still give consumers sticker shock. Although Santosh Iyer, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India mentions that the EQE SUV as sold in India is only marginally more expensive than an equivalent petrol or diesel powered GLE SUV, buyers of electric vehicles do need to think a bit more altruistically when they buy a car. “We genuinely have to think about what sort of planet we want to leave for our children,” Iyer tells me, before adding “if that means planning a bit more than usual when we go on long drives, so be it.”
Also read: Nexon EV facelift works on three things—entertainment, entertainment, entertainment
A Merc on battery
Mercedes-Benz, like many other carmakers, have been adding electric charging infrastructure across the country. “We are trying to install chargers on popular long-distance routes, and not just slow chargers, but very high-speed chargers such as a 180kW charger we have just installed in Gurugram,” Iyer says. Chargers like the one in Gurugram can charge a vehicle like the EQE, which has a 90kWh battery, from zero to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes.
However, Iyer admits that a lot more needs to be done to increase the appeal of EVs across India, particularly in terms of infrastructure. That said, the charging ecosystem is growing fast. For example, for the media drive in Gulmarg, not a place that one would have thought about an EV drive, there are now chargers all over the Kashmir Valley in Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pulwama, Pehalgam and Sonmarg. “Yes, there are some gaps across India, but if you plan well and do some research before you leave, you can cover virtually any major route in India with an electric car.”
There are many questions about EVs and their adoption but none on their handling. While they are heavier — because of the weight of the battery casing placed between the wheels — handling of EVs remains excellent. The additional weight is low down, imparting the vehicle a low centre of gravity. This means that around corners, particularly on hill roads, cars like the EQE feel well-balanced. And because they do not sway and roll too much, they become a lot easier for the passengers as well.
While the top speed on EQE is limited to just 210 kmph, the EQE 500 can get from a standing start to 100 kmph in just 4.9 seconds, impressive given the fact that the car weighs almost three tons. With the battery having a peak power of 402 horsepower that is not surprising. While I have been driving the Hyundai IONIQ5 for over four months now, I still find the sudden, almost linear burst of acceleration without any palpable noise to be surreal. The EQE is also good for 550 km of range on a full-charge.
If there is one issue with the EQE, it is to do with the price. While it is more powerful than the similarly-sized BMW iX 40, it is over Rs 15 lakh more expensive and almost Rs 25 lakh more than Audi’s Q8 e-tron 50. While Iyer wants to appeal to the altruism of luxury car buyers in India and the EQE is more powerful than the competition, can he manage to appeal to their wallets? Well, he hopes he can with buyback deals and a 10-year battery warranty.
The EQE does have some other major advances as well, particularly the entire front dashboard — from the driver-side instrument cluster to the panel in front of the passenger, is one large display. The company calls it a ‘hyperscreen’ which when you add Mercedes-Benz’ innovations with their interior ambient lighting, make the interiors feel like something out of Star Trek. Heck, I’m pretty sure Gene Rodenberry could never have thought of something like this, a touch-screen high-definition panel. They said you’ll have flying cars by now, instead you have touchscreen panels that can fix you up with a heated deep tissue massage.
But for now, the combination of luxury and electric vehicles is proving to be a strong one.
@kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)