Mercedes-Benz has announced the launch of its luxury electric people mover called the EQV in Australia, a first opportunity for larger families and corporate transfer markets to tap into the EV market.
The Mercedes-Benz EQV will be one of the first luxury electric people movers up for sale in Australia, though the number of models is expected to expand reasonably quickly.
It features a 90kWh battery pack and a stated range of 418kms. Because this is an NEDC rating (dubbed by doubters as Not Even Dammed Close), expect the real range to be much lower than that, particularly on the open road.
It’s not cheap, either. It’s available to order at a cost of $155,338 before any on-road costs. That won’t qualify for any rebates or stamp duty or luxury car tax exemptions.
Image: Mercedes-BenzStill, this people mover will deliver passengers with future-focused luxury and low-emission travel in style.
“For large families or transfer operators, the EQV offers all the space and practicality they need, but with less impact on the environment, the potential to lower running costs and no compromise on luxury,” says Diane Tarr, the head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia and New Zealand.
“This means that it offers all of the typical qualities of the brand and category that our customers expect, whether as a family car or a shuttle vehicle.”
Safety-wise the Mercedes-Benz EQV offers:
- Active cruise control
- 360-degree camera with dynamic guide-lines
- Airbags for drives, co-drivers, windows from A to D pillars
- LED Intelligent light system with Highbeam Assist Plus
- Active Brake Assist
- Hill-Start Assist
- Blind Spot Assist
- Lane-Keep Assist
- Reversing camera with sensors
- Rain-sensing wipers
The EQV will be covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. For commercial use, there is a cap on kilometres travelled. That is capped at 5 Years or 250,000 km. Servicing is also set annually or every 40,000 km.
The Mercedes-Benz EQV comes with a single motor that powers the front wheels. The same motor delivers 150 kW of power and 365 Nm of torque.
The 90kWh battery pack can accomodate DC fast charging at up to 110kW, which means it can charge from 10-80% in 45 minutes. There’s also 11 kW AC charging available on this luxury people-mover.
All EQVs come with a one-year complimentary Chargefox subscription. The aim of that is to provide customers with one year of unlimited charging at all Chargefox ultra-rapid stations and participating fast charging stations around Australia.
Chargefox is one of the largest DC charging station operators which makes it easier for new owners and business operators to charge in many parts of Australia.
The Driven’s view: We look forward to testing this once it lands on our shores and it’s great to see the corporate travel segment of the Australian vehicle market get electrified.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.