Next year, Mercedes, a division of Daimler, will present the EQS, a battery-powered equivalent of the company’s top-of-the-line S-Class. The EQS, which will cost more than $ 100,000, will be the first vehicle built with Mercedes’ so-called electric vehicle architecture, the same idea as Volkswagen’s modular toolbox.
Daimler says the EQS will be able to travel 700 kilometers, or 435 miles, on one load. That would be slightly more than the current Tesla S. In 2022, Daimler will introduce additional models based on the electric vehicle platform, including a battery-powered SUV, to be produced at the company’s factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
BMW has been slower than its rivals to offer luxury electric vehicles. The company pioneered the battery-powered i3 compact in 2014, but never won over buyers. BMW does not plan to start producing its own pure electric platform until 2025, instead of offering electrified versions of its conventional models.
Pieter Nota, BMW’s head of marketing, told reporters in November that the company did not expect sales of electric vehicles to take off before 2025. “That’s why we are starting our battery-centric platform until then,” he said.
After stealing a significant share of the market for vehicles such as the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, Tesla showed some vulnerability. Sales of the Model 3 in Europe have remained practically stable in recent months, after it surpassed sales by European automakers last year. The Renault Zoe, a compact utility vehicle designed for urban use, surpassed the Model 3 to become the best-selling battery-powered car in Europe during the first 10 months of 2020.
Volkswagen is trying to undermine Tesla’s leadership in battery technology. The company invested $ 300 million in QuantumScape, a Silicon Valley company that is developing solid-state batteries. If the new type of battery can be improved and mass produced, it will cost less, charge faster and go beyond current technology.