Mercedes-EQ harmonizes the demands of a modern generation of customers, for sustainability and emotionality with the demand for innovation. Because today, producing the most desirable vehicles means far more than it did just a few years ago. A one-dimensional claim to leadership is not sufficient on its own. Instead, the transformation to genuine CO2-neutrality is a complex tour de force that requires a completely new approach to problem-solving. With its progressive sub-brand Mercedes-EQ, Mercedes-Benz AG is underlining its claim to leadership in the field of electrification and digitisation. With an expanded development of networking and future-oriented technology programs, Mercedes-EQ is setting standards on the way into a new age.
- “Progressive luxury” thrills with innovative technologies, intelligent digital concepts and sustainable, individual mobility solutions.
- “LeadInElectric” and “LeadInCarSoftware” mark the orientation of the latest automobile brand of
Mercedes-Benz AG, which is underpinned by new approaches and the EQXX technology program. - “Green Charging” uses high-quality certificates of origin to ensure that charging volumes from renewable energy generated by Mercedes-EQ customers are fed into the grid at more than 175,000 European charging points via Mercedes me Charge.
- The global Mercedes-Benz-owned production network is flexibly prepared for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and will already produce eight Mercedes-EQ electric models on a CO2-neutral basis on three continents in 2022.
- “staysafe” is a promise for Mercedes-EQ. A highly efficient HEPA filter in the upcoming EQS electric sedan ensures an interior air quality at cleanroom level.
Mercedes-EQ as an innovative pioneer in a promising age
For some, the transformation is very simple: prohibit individual transport from A to B and abandon building automobiles. However, individual mobility continues to be of great importance as it not only means freedom, but also safety. The outlook is clear for Mercedes-EQ: we understand the limits for our planet, and ensure innovation. This is why Mercedes-Benz AG has had its climate protection objectives scientifically verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI). This means that the company is in line with the requirements of the Paris World Climate Accord. Achieving these objectives requires sustainable products. Because every form of growth has previously increased the consumption of resources. This is precisely where the solution is to be found: the one must be decoupled from the other. Mercedes-EQ places its confidence in tools that have a long tradition in the company: innovation and technology.
Leading role in electrification, vehicle software and sustainable production
“With Mercedes-EQ, we are sending a clear signal for sustainability and progress. We are convinced that cross-functional cooperation including with strategic partners is our key to success in order to make our guiding themes of #LeadInElectric, #LeadInCarSoftware and #SustainabilityOverall a reality. A highly innovative and agile team of top experts is currently working on our technology programme EQXX. In the process, we are shifting the boundaries of what is feasible for the CO2-neutrality of tomorrow at an unprecedented rate. Because Mercedes-Benz is striving for nothing less than leadership in this field.” – Markus Schäfer, Member of the Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG Boards of Management for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars COO
Providing even greater resources for product development and innovation is a clear signal of the “Electric First” strategy. And with the technology programme EQXX, the development department is going one step further. In close cooperation with our partners, a cross-functional, multi-disciplinary team is addressing precisely this challenge in order to break today’s technology boundaries in terms of reach, efficiency and charging. Support is provided by specialists from the British Mercedes-Benz F1 HPP Group, who bring to the EQXX program the spirit of a seven-time world champion and competence concerning electric motors, as well as their development speed learned from motorsport.
The road to sustainable automobiles is not only about innovative technologies such as electric drives, battery technologies and vehicle software, but also about the balance between technology and sustainability along the entire value chain. . From the definition of specific measures with partners and suppliers, intelligent material concepts and use of resources to sustainable production and the verification of eco-power origins during the life-cycle of products on the road, Mercedes-Benz AG has set its sights on sustainability, and will systematically further this in the future, not least thanks to the product offensive of Mercedes-EQ and electrification throughout the entire brand portfolio.
Electric Vehicle Architecture for the innovative enhancements to classic Mercedes-Benz values
“Our EQ models will meet the highest standards and also set standards in many disciplines. The EQS, with its more than 700 km of electric range according to the WLTP, the most intelligent MBUX in its most beautiful form and its certified air filtering system, which achieves the air quality of an operating room, shows only a few examples of the technological innovations of our electric platform.” – Christoph Starzynski, Vice-President Electric Vehicle Architecture und Head of Mercedes-EQ at Mercedes-Benz, responsible for electric vehicles
The new Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA), which will celebrate its première with the EQS luxury sedan next year, will not only provide the technical basis for four other all-electric models, but will also incorporate technical milestones from Mercedes-EQ which fully meet the expectations our customers have of progressive luxury cars.
One example is the optional interior air filtering system of the coming EQS electric sedan. This highly-efficient suspended particulate filter (HEPA) uses parts of the space freed up by the absence of a combustion engine beneath the bonnet. With a volume of almost ten litres and a size of just over four A4 pages, it enables the highest of air quality in the interior. Even fine dusts of the class PM2.5, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and unpleasant odours are filtered from the interior ambient air. With the HEPA filter, the EQS achieves an air quality comparable to that in cleaning and operating rooms, and thereby adds another dimension to safety as a hallmark of the brand. The effectiveness of the system is also officially certified according to DIN EN 1822. This is first time ever in the automotive sector.
Solutions such as this embody the hallmarks of Mercedes-EQ. New freedoms, together with technological progress, lead to solutions that, taken together, are more than just innovation.
Mercedes-EQ accompanies customers into a world of new possibilities: “Progressive Luxury”
“We are the first automotive company and one of few luxury brands on the globe who have taken that big step towards a new understanding and approach to design and technology. We merged technology with design to create a holistic customer experience. Our new brand Mercedes-EQ stands for “Progressive Luxury” for the future. Progressive Luxury offers a complete new way of luxury in a fascinating way. We created a new level of MBUX in design as well as user interaction.” – Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler Group
This extension of traditional Mercedes-Benz virtues such as safety, responsibility, perfection and fascination by the intelligent use of new possibilities, thanks to the use of electric drive technologies, is an integral part of Mercedes-EQ. This will set new standards for the common good, pioneering the mobility of the future and addressing new customer groups. . In addition to confidence in the brand’s sense of responsibility for comprehensive holistic sustainable developments, it is above all the curiosity and enthusiasm of customers that are the driving force and incentive for progress and the new possibilities of Mercedes-EQ. Bringing technology, people and nature into harmony to realise a new harmonious system is more than just a vision: The combination of intelligence and emotion is centrally anchored in the brand.
Completely new systems are an expression of this claim. The best example is the unique control system of the new EQS, which combines the aesthetic aspiration of a work of art with unique usability thanks to artificial intelligence. Across the whole width of the interior, the driver and front passenger are shown exactly what they want and need in the relevant situation.
“A well-written code is like a work of art. And we will offer our best software solution to date in the new EQS. The underlying AI is revolutionary, and the learning system beyond that is more impressive with every use. With MBUX, we are not only well-positioned today, as the complete over-the-air update capability will continue to amaze in the future. This approach also opens up unbelievable creative scope, which appeal to me personally as a programmer.” – Sajjad Khan, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG; CTO
More sustainability when charging: Mercedes-Benz ensures the use of energy from renewable resources for public charging via Mercedes me Charge
Around 50 percent of the CO2 footprint of a battery-electric vehicle are produced during the use phase with the current EU energy mix, owing to charging processes that emit CO2. In order to make green charging possible for the customers of all purely battery-electric Mercedes-EQ models and all plug-in hybrid model variants via the green charging points integrated into the Mercedes me Charge service, Mercedes-Benz will start the market launch of Green Charging in Europe next year.
“The central aim of the Mercedes-EQ brand is to offer customers more than just an unrivalled electric driving experience. With the EQS, the customer is immersed in a completely new Mercedes world that thrills not only the mind but also the heart with its technical possibilities and sustainable innovations. This exciting, unrivalled Mercedes-EQ experience goes well beyond the product itself. With Green Charging, we actively contribute to cutting CO2 emissions and are thereby leading the way to the CO2-neutral mobility of the future with our Ambition 2039.” – Britta Seeger, Member of the Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG Boards of Management responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars Marketing and Sales
The transformation to CO2-neutrality is a complex effort
“In parallel with this high pace of innovation, becoming CO2-neutral along the entire value creation chain is an exciting yet challenging task. Ambition 2039 and scientific recognition of our climate protection goals by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTI) are very important milestones in this. We already define sustainability criteria in the very earliest phase of product development. We precisely analyse the effects that certain decisions have on, e.g. the future eco-balance of a new model, and how primary raw materials might be saved or replaced by recycled materials. We also include our supply chain in this: almost half of our 2000 or so suppliers have undertaken to support our ambition and only supply us with CO2-neutral parts in future. Moreover, we will only procure battery cells with cobalt and lithium from certified sources in future, and significantly reduce the cobalt content in the cells. Finally, we want to develop and produce models that stand for progressive and at the same time sustainable luxury, because they have no negative impact on the environment and society in the long term and also offer comfort and safety.” – Markus Schäfer, Member of the Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG Boards of Management for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars COO
In order to minimise the initial negative effects of the CO2-intensive upstream value chain for electric vehicles throughout their life-cycle, it is essential to use all available CO2 reduction measures. This is where Mercedes-Benz starts with the product development on process, and already reduces CO2 emissions during the production phase in concert with the global supplier network. The objective: the global Mercedes-Benz supply chain is to become CO2-neutral. In line with Ambition 2039, the goal of climate-neutrality is incorporated into our contractual terms and is a key criterion for contract awards. From 2039 at the latest, only production materials which have been produced on a CO2-neutral basis in all value creation stages will be allowed through the factory gates of Mercedes-Benz. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz and its partners are working on increasing the proportion of secondary materials in focus materials on a gradual basis
Mercedes-Benz places an additional focus on particularly CO2-intensive components and materials such as battery cells. Mercedes-Benz has already agreed a clear set of goals with two strategic partners for battery cells to date: For example, the supplied battery cells will be produced using 100% renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power, starting with the EQS. This significantly reduces the CO2 footprint of the battery as a whole.
In addition, a clear development goal of Mercedes-Benz is to expedite the production maturity of future battery technologies and to further optimise range and charging time consistently. Thanks to the latest cell chemistry and thus significantly higher energy density, the EQS already benefits from a range exceeding 700 km (WLTP). The use of critical materials is further reduced as part of the technology roadmap.
In addition, the cobalt content will already be reduced to less than ten percent for future generations of battery cells, which will already be used in the EQA and EQS in 2021. In perspective, post lithium-ion technologies and new material compositions will make it possible to eliminate materials such as cobalt completely. Further optimisation of recyclability and its implementation at Mercedes-Benz is also part of the holistic battery strategy.
CO2-neutral production starting 2022 worldwide in its own Mercedes-Benz passenger car plants
The plants of Mercedes-Benz AG, including the global battery production network, will already produce on a CO2-neutral basis around the world starting 2022. In doing so, they become role models for the supplier network. In line with procedures in our own plants, suppliers are firstly required to avoid and reduce emissions. The areas of approach for climate-neutral production are varied and range from the reduction of consumption to the procurement of green energy.
Parallel with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the EQS will be produced in Factory 56. This new, high-tech production sets an example not only for maximum flexibility, but also for a sustainable, CO2-neutral energy supply, and ultimately acts as a blueprint for all the plants around the world.
However, responsibility does not end in Germany. In addition to reducing the use of energy, the responsible procurement of raw materials is essential for a sustainable Mercedes-Benz electric fleet. To ensure the responsible mining of cobalt, lithium and other battery raw materials, Mercedes-Benz has already made the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining a contractual component for future vehicle projects, and will in future only work with suppliers that accept these requirements. Strict certification and audits according to OECD guidelines form part of the Daimler Supplier Sustainability Standard, which uses a fraud-proof blockchain solution to make even the most complex supply chains transparent and traceable. In the new generation of battery cells, Mercedes-Benz has already reduced the cobalt content to less than ten percent and plans to dispense with materials such as cobalt entirely using post lithium-ion technologies with new material compositions.
More sustainability in charging: Mercedes-Benz ensures the use of energy from renewable resources for public charging via Mercedes me Charge
- Milestone in the course of Ambition 2039: Green Charging integrated into Mercedes me Charge for all EQ models throughout Europe from early 2021
- Mercedes-Benz guarantees that electricity from renewable energies will be fed into the grid for the quantities of charging flowing via Mercedes me Charge
- Mercedes me Charge enables customers to charge at more than 175,000 public charging points throughout Europe; Mercedes-Benz ensures a sustainable compensation with green power
Green power, that is to say electricity from renewable resources, is a significant factor in the life-cycle of an electric car for preventing CO2 emissions. This is because around 50 percent of the CO2 footprint of a battery-electric vehicle are produced during the use, i.e. due to CO2-affected charging processes. In order to make green charging possible for the customers of all purely battery-electric Mercedes-EQ models and all plug-in hybrid model variants via the green charging points integrated into the Mercedes me Charge service, Mercedes-Benz will start the market launch of Green Charging in Europe next year.
Green Charging – more transparency for customers
The driver often does not know whether a public charging station sources green power or electricity from non-renewable resources, because this is the responsibility of the different charging station operators. In order to counteract this lack of transparency and to promote the use of electricity from renewable resources, Mercedes-Benz is the first automotive manufacturer to use so-called certificates of origin to “green” the charging process. This ensures that an equivalent amount of electricity from renewable resources is fed into the grid for charging electric vehicles. This means that the charged amounts of energy are compensated with green power after the actual charging process.
As a result, Mercedes-Benz for the first time offers its customers the possibility to charge at public charging stations throughout Europe knowing that the use of energy from renewable resources is ensured. Until now, this was only ensured at select charging stations such as, e.g. the powerful fast charging network along Europe’s main transport arteries belonging to IONITY, the joint venture of the automotive manufacturers BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG und Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche. The operation is relatively simple: For a certain period of time, it is analyzed exactly what amount of electricity has been charged from all Mercedes EQ vehicles via Mercedes me Charge. The defined number of high-quality green power certificates of origin (1 MWh corresponds to one certificate or origin) is provided by an external supplier. A certificate of origin thus verifiably certifies the origin of the energy and serves as a kind of birth certificate for electricity from renewable resources. In order to enable an environmental benefit in addition, the certificates of origin comply with further additional attributes, which are defined in the form of an eco-power label and aim to step-up the construction of renewable energy systems.
Another milestone in the wake the of Ambition 2039
The path to emission-free mobility is a key element of the Daimler corporate strategy Ambition 2039 – in which the vehicle production also plays a pivotal role. With a view to the energy used there, Mercedes-Benz AG is reaching another important milestone. The own plants will produce on a CO2-neutral basis from 2022. This comprises more than 30 passenger car and van plants and is another step in the implementation of the “Ambition2039” initiative with which the company aims to achieve a carbon-neutral new vehicle fleet from 2039. As a first step, emissions generated in Mercedes-Benz vehicle production and in the energy supply to the plants will be systematically reduced or where possible avoided entirely. The company relies on three strategic pillars for doing so: continuous increase in energy efficiency, use of green power and realisation of a sustainable heat supply. However, electricity from renewable energies is important not only in production – it also plays a very important role in the life-cycle of an electric car for avoiding CO2 emissions after it passes through the factory gates:
“Our aspiration is to bring modern luxury and sustainability in our products into harmony with a fascinating customer experience. The use phase of our products is a pivotal lever in this regard. With our new Green Charging solution, we are taking an important step here that benefits not only our customers, but also the environment. In doing so, we actively contribute to cutting CO2 emissions and thereby are taking the path to the CO2-neutral mobility of the future with our Ambition 2039“, says Britta Seeger, Member of the Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG Boards of Management, responsible for Marketing and Sales.
Convenient charging and transparency when paying with Mercedes me Charge
With Mercedes me, Mercedes-EQ provides comprehensive services for the electric mobility of today and tomorrow. Via Mercedes me Charge, drivers of a Mercedes-EQ or plug-in hybrid model with the latest MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment generation have the possibility to get access to one of the world’s largest charging networks with over 400 different operators of public charging stations in Europe alone. This convenient access to the charging stations is provided by the Mercedes me Charge charging card, the Mercedes me App or via the vehicle’s media display. No separate contracts are necessary for this: apart from simple authentication, customers benefit from an integrated payment function with simple billing after they have registered their payment method once. The objective: relaxed, uncomplicated travel with transparency and planning certainty.
SOURCE: Daimler
