All the major automotive manufacturers are positioning themselves in the world of electric cars, which is already here. Most have presented models in the mid-range of their market (in the case of Volkswagen) but Mercedes, which is one of the leaders of the high-end range, has made its entry with the electric substitute of its highest range (the S model), and called EQS.
The message is very clear, they want to continue leading that segment of the market and avoid introducing some new electric cars such as Lucid, Faraday and other new ones that may appear.
Like so many others, at the moment Mercedes is putting the electric car on the market and in the future they will add functions that make it more autonomous and require less driver participation.
Although the model is not yet for sale, some prototypes are already circulating for experts to test it and make it known in the media to potential future customers. Manufacturers move quickly so that no one takes their place.
The design of the car is totally new and has nothing to do with the old model S. As it does not need a fuel engine, the front end is somewhat shorter, but the overall size is similar and the passengers will go in total comfort.
Electric cars have the disadvantage of the weight of the batteries that makes them more "sensitive" to the irregularities of the terrain, and according to what I have read the performance of the EQS stands out and improves those of Tesla and other competitors.
The simplest model (EQS 450+) develops 329 hp on the rear wheels and announces a range of 350 miles, which clearly indicates its interest in the North American market, since that is where it currently has the most advanced competitors (Tesla , Lucid, etc ...). There is also another version (EQS 580) with 516 hp and power application to all four wheels.
Following fashion, it has three front screens to present information to passengers, and something new is the "head-up display" that projects part of the driving information on the windshield. This seems to me to be the most interesting and I am convinced that in many years its cost will be lowered and it will be of normal use in all cars, just as it happened with the ABS braking system.
We will have to wait a bit.
The price of the car is announced a little above 100,000 dollars (similar in euros) and according to the new policy of the manufacturers it will come out with many configurable possibilities that can be selected for each user (turning radius, power levels, etc ...) that they will be paid separately.
That's the new big business for manufacturers, who now offer software "options" that modify the behavior of the car, and those options are paid for separately. Something similar to mobile APPs.
And the autonomous car will arrive when it arrives, adding to the electric cars that are already producing more sensors and more capabilities in the computer system.
It is clear that everyone learns from each other, and what I have clear is that the cars of the future will be in the hands of their manufacturers for longer, generating periodic income for modifications and software updates.
It seems like a good deal is being presented to car manufacturers. For something Apple and Google are trying to get their heads on that business. They are far from being silly.
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