Can Mercedes’s EQS Really Challenge Tesla's Model S?

There have been two major electric car launches this week, but one outshone the other in significance: the final official unveiling of the Mercedes-Benz EQS. This is the electric version of the company’s range-topping S-class, its big executive sedan. This time a pure-electric platform will be used, rather than shoehorning an electric drivetrain into an existing car intended for an internal combustion engine. The EQS is very clearly meant to be a direct competitor to the Tesla Model S (and the forthcoming Lucid Air). But does it really have what it takes to challenge the leading battery-electric vehicle platform in the world?

The Mercedes-Benz virtual launch on Thursday was certainly very slick. Even though Audi’s Q4 e-tron unveiling earlier in the week featured Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page and actress/director Olivia Wilde, it was overshadowed by what Mercedes-Benz was revealing. The EQS presentation hopped around the world, and even included a section presented by film director James Cameron, who had worked with Mercedes-Benz on the AVTR concept that eventually became the EQS. However, the final version of the EQS, unsurprisingly, does not look a lot like the AVTR, as is usually the way when concept cars enter production, perhaps with the exception of the Honda e.

The EQS, therefore, does not appear so different from current Mercedes-Benz cars, and has a side profile not far off that of the mid-2000s CLS Coupe. But the front is more rounded and thankfully lacks a traditional grille. Some manufacturers keep an unnecessary grille on their electric cars “to smooth the transition to electric for customers”. It is reassuring that Mercedes-Benz has not done this.

What is underneath, however, is much more radical. The fact that the EQS is Mercedes-Benz’s first car to be produced on a pure battery-electric-only platform means there has been no compromise made to accommodate a fossil fuel variant. This has been a consistent major advantage Tesla has had over its competitors because it allows optimal battery and motor placement. Lots of BEVs look taller than they should due to the requirements of battery space, but Teslas don’t and neither does the EQS. The batteries are under the floor, with the motors in line with the wheels, allowing even weight distribution and maximum cabin space.

This brings us to one of the first revelations about the EQS – the first launch editions of the car will come with a huge 107.8kWh battery. Mercedes-Benz claims this will provide a WLTP range of up to 770km (481 miles). Putting this in perspective, the current Tesla Model S Long Range offers 412 miles in the WLTP test, the Plaid 390 miles, and only when the Plaid+ arrives will Tesla beat Mercedes-Benz again with over 520 miles of range. In other words, Mercedes-Benz is clearly hoping to outgun Tesla for long journeys, and the industry leading EQS’s drag coefficient of just 0.20 will clearly help here.

Another key announcement that shows how Mercedes-Benz is targeting Tesla’s range abilities is not directly to do with the car, either. Every EQS will come with a year’s free charging via IONITY. This is a relatively new pan-European charging network that offers 350kW DC charging, and now has 336 locations including 100 in Germany. IONITY has received a lot of criticism about its pricing, but this announcement shows what it is really all about: providing a charging network to challenge Tesla’s Superchargers for premium brands. By offering free IONITY charging for a year, and preferential rates after that, Mercedes-Benz is hoping to negate one of the most compelling benefits of Tesla ownership. The high ad-hoc price of IONITY chargers makes sense in this light because it will keep regular cars from using them, while still making them potentially available, in contrast to Tesla’s network, which currently cannot be used by non-Teslas at all.

Unfortunately, this will not be much use for US purchasers because IONITY doesn’t have a network in America yet. But the EQS does at least offer strong general charging abilities, with a standard 11kW AC onboard charger and 22kW option, allowing a ten-hour or five-hour full charge, respectively. Perhaps more significant for the long-haul abilities is the 200kW DC charging ability, enabling an 80% charge in just 31 minutes, and up to 188 miles of range added in just 15 minutes. With a powerful enough DC charger, like IONITY’s, this places the EQS on par with a Tesla Model S and its V3 Superchargers.

Performance is the main area where Tesla clearly will not have much to worry about. Mercedes-Benz officially announced two versions of the EQS so far, the rear-wheel-drive 450+ with 329hp and the all-wheel-drive 580 4MATIC with 516hp. These deliver 0-62mph sprint speeds of 6.2 and 4.3 seconds respectively, which seem incredible by fossil fuel car standards, but pale into insignificance when the Tesla Model S Long Range can hit 60mph in just 3.1 seconds, the Plaid in 1.99 seconds, and the Plaid+ faster still. There is a 750hp EQS in the works, which might be enough to surpass the Tesla Model S Long Range, but not the 1,020hp Plaid.

It is not all about raw speed with a luxury car, however. Tesla’s new yoke Model S steering wheel, which has divided opinion, is just the tip of the company’s radical approach to interiors. Elon Musk has focused on the in-car entertainment abilities of the latest Model S, claiming it has enough power to play the game Cyberpunk 2077. But Mercedes-Benz’s new MBUX infotainment system provides enjoyment for even more occupants, with individual screens for rear passengers as well as the front one, all able to deliver separate entertainment. German car interiors are already legendary in their quality, too, and it is likely that this is an area where Tesla will have a serious challenge on from Mercedes-Benz.

The EQS will also offer Level 3 autonomous capabilities, which is one above the City Streets capability Tesla is currently trialing in parts of the USA, offering full self-driving but with the requirement that the driver still be ready to take control if necessary.

Mercedes-Benz has not announced pricing for the EQS yet, but you can be sure that even the rear-wheel-drive version will cost more than £80,000 in the UK, and probably well over the $73,000 base price of a Tesla Model S Long Range. Luxury car buyers do not buy one car over another just because it’s cheaper, though. There is no word on exact launch date beyond Fall / Autumn 2021, and deliveries in early 2022.

This brings us back to where we started – will the Mercedes-Benz EQS have what it takes to challenge the Tesla Model S? On a drag strip, absolutely not. And without the IONITY network in the USA, its challenge in that country is weakened too. But in Europe the EQS could be the locally produced luxury electric vehicle German autobahns have been waiting for. This may not be a “Tesla killer”, but the EQS certainly shows that Mercedes-Benz is not giving up the fight in the electric era just yet.