When Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Mercedes EQS electric sedan last year, the company said that a pair of electric motors would produce 350 kilowatts (470hp) of power. The UK’s Autocar now reports that an AMG high-power version of the EQS will be produced, amping things up to higher than 600 horsepower. It appears that Mercedes-Benz wants EVs that stack up against Tesla’s Plaid versions, even if not quite as powerful.
Autocar spoke with “one high-ranking Mercedes engineer,” who said that the Mercedes-Benz AMG performance car division will produce the EQS’s most potent variant. It will be equipped with a dual-motor setup providing more than 600bhp and 663 pound-feet of torque.
That’s impressive, but will not reach the brute force of the most powerful version of the Model S. Nonetheless, among the growing class of large, luxury EVs, the Mercedes-Benz EQS is likely to outdo its competitors for comfort and a refined cabin. It’s not clear yet what visual enhancements the AMG variant will get.
By the way, brake horsepower (BHP) and horsepower are nearly the same, although BHP represents slightly less power.
The conventional version of the EQS in its pre-production form
In September, Daimler CEO Ola Källenius said:
We are starting to work not just on electrified AMGs but also our first fully electric AMGs.
The first versions of the all-electric Mercedes EQS are expected to go into production in 2021, arriving in dealerships probably in early 2022. The AMG EQS likely won’t be revealed until after the standard EQS models go into production.
The EQS is not quite a full-size sedan, slotting in size between an E-Class and S-Class. There are few confirmed details about the EQS, other than high-level specs revealed in a January preview. The numbers include a 100kWh battery pack, 470 horsepower, and 350kW ultra-fast charging.
The market of large, powerful, luxury EVs could get crowded soon. There’s the Tesla Model S, BMW 7-Series EV, Lucid Air, and Xpeng P7. Audi decided not to produce an all-electric A8 but will sell the GT version of the e-tron.
Mercedes-Benz is also piling up a list of EVs for its European showrooms, including the EQC, EQA, and EQB compacts, and an EQV van. It’s still not clear how many of those models other than the EQS will come to the US — and which will get the AMG power treatment.
AMG versions of its EVs will give Mercedes the ability to boast about power. However, the benefits of an electric powertrain might play more into the brand’s reputation for comfort.
Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz’s research and development chief, told Autocar:
We want to change the way we build cars. The focus is on electric drivetrains.
The limitations placed on the packaging by a conventional combustion engine platform don’t apply anymore. The space, especially in the rear, sets new standards.
Deliveries of the EQC electric SUV in the US were delayed until 2021. “We are continuing with our plan to produce approximately 50,000 EQC units in 2020,” the company confirmed in a February email to Electrek.
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