Mercedes-Benz unveils EQA electric crossover with less than 300 miles range

Mercedes-Benz is throwing the curtain back on the EQA crossover, its latest electric vehicle, as part of a slate of new cars planned for the coming years. The compact sports utility vehicle has a range of less than 300 miles, a battery of 66.5 kW and a net price of € 39,950 ($ 48,442).

The EQA, based on the GLA-class SUVs of the German carmaker, will be in production in Europe this year, but is unlikely to catch up in the US any time soon. A spokesman for Daimler, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company, said the EQA was still being considered for the US market.

US car buyers will be better off waiting for the EQB electric crossover, which is closely related to the boxer-CAP class vehicle. The EQB will also be in production later this year. Meanwhile, the EQS and EQE models will be the first EVs built on Mercedes’ new modular electric vehicle platform.

The EQA was built on the same vehicle platform as the $ 68,000 EQC SUV, which was supposed to launch in the US at the beginning of 2020, but was pushed to 2021. And just like with the EQC, Mercedes relies on the new European Driving Cycle (NEDC) to make a distance estimate of 486 kilometers (300 miles) for the EQA.

This is unfortunate because the NEDC standard is generally considered outdated and is currently being replaced by the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) which is supposed to be a bit stricter. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is conducting its own test to compile calculations for electric cars, which tended to be lower than the NEDC and are considered closer to actual performance. If and when the EQA comes to the US, it is likely that the EPA estimated range will be less than 300 miles.

The EQA, launched as “EQA 250”, has a 66.5kWh battery pack, which is slightly above average for the EVs today. Tesla’s largest battery is 100 kWh, available in the Model S and Model X, which is one of the largest batteries currently available.

The EQA starts in Germany at € 47,540.50. Mercedes says it plans to release additional variants of the crossover, including a four-wheel-drive version with an additional electric propulsion system that increases power output to 200 kW or more, while also offering a version with a range of more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) offers. ) based on the WLTP standard.

Those interested will have a few options regarding the inside of the EQA. They can choose either two 7-inch screens for both the instrument panel and the main infotainment screen, or a widescreen variant with two 10.25-inch screens. It will not have the recently unveiled, giant, 56-inch touchscreen from Mercedes-Benz featured in the upcoming EQS luxury electric sedan.

The EQA comes standard with the carmaker’s second generation MBUX information system that avoids physical buttons in favor of a fully digital (and voice-controlled) in-car user experience.

Mercedes-Benz regards the EQA as an ‘entry point’ into the growing family of automotive electric vehicles. The cheaper price than the EQC SUV, and the new crossover will definitely find a fair share of interested buyers. The question is whether the German carmaker can compete for EV-curious buyers when Volkswagen, Tesla, BMW and others progress at a faster pace.