Mercedes said goodbye to the V12-powered G-Class in October 2017 with a G65 Final Edition. In June 2023, the non-AMG eight-cylinder model came to an end with the release of the G500 V8 Final Edition. The iconic off-roader, the G63, is still offered, although it is not immune from the downsizing virus. There will be a G-Class variant without any combustion engines by 2024. The electric G, displayed at IAA Munich in prototype form, is getting closer.
A near-production prototype of the zero-emission SUV is on display by the German luxury brand, which debuted the Concept EQG at the same exhibition two years prior. Attendees at the IAA can get up close and personal with the electric G “months before its world debut,” according to an official Mercedes statement premiere next year.” Additional details are not available, but we do know the conventionally powered model is sticking around.
Mercedes-Benz EQG Prototype: First Ride
The EQG is anticipated to have a quad-motor arrangement and an optional high-density battery pack that takes advantage of silicon anode chemistry, but Mercedes has been mum about the technical details. This should result in a 20 to 40 percent increase in energy density to reach 800 Wh/l at the cell level and add “significant amount” of additional range. The longer-range EQG won’t be available until 2025, or around a year after the regular electric model.
It’s important to remember that the SLS AMG Electric Drive featured a quad-motor arrangement back in 2012, thus the EQG won’t be the first electric Mercedes with four motors. The electric all-terrain SUV is anticipated to weigh up to 6,600 pounds (3,000 kg). Given that its boxy design gives it a less-than-ideal drag coefficient, it will require that cutting-edge battery technology to offer a respectable range.
The steel ladder-frame chassis that has supported the gasoline/diesel G-Class (W463) will be adapted for use with the EQG. It will have a double-wishbone front and trailing arm rear suspension, according to Mercedes. To safeguard the battery while travelling, it will be enclosed in a steel box and covered in a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer material off-road and wading through deep waters.
It will offer Trail, Rock, and Sand driving modes in addition to the standard driving modes (Eco, Comfort, and Sport), as well as a creeper mode for off-road travel at a set speed. The G-Turn, which is Mercedes jargon for a 360-degree tank turn after using the gear paddles to choose between going left or right, will be another party trick.
In Graz, Austria, Magna Steyr will construct it alongside the ICE model. Although nothing is official yet, German business newspaper Handelsblatt speculated at the start of the year that the electric G-Class would be among the first Mercedes EVs to shed the “EQ” designation.
