Story and photos by Andreas Conradt, Automedia
On the market since summer 2021, Mercedes' all-electric EQS flagship is about to receive a facelift in 2026. SEMA News sources caught a prototype of the revised model undergoing cold-climate tests in northern Sweden. Modified will be the entire front, including the bumper, grille and headlights. Similar to the taillights of the all-electric CLA, the inner graphics of the new EQS will incorporate Mercedes' three-pointed star. The prototype's taillights, however, are unchanged, although the rear might receive a new bumper and the LED strip connecting the rear lamp units could be removed.
The biggest changes, however, will be under the metal. Rumours suggest Mercedes will upgrade its EQE and EQS electric models from a 400-volt electric system to an 800-volt electric system from 2025, enabling higher charging capacities than 200 kW. The switch to an 800-volt system is part of a major upgrade of the EVA2 platform, which will then be known as EVA2M.
Today's electric motors from Valeo will be replaced by the eATS 2.0 drive developed by Mercedes-Benz itself, which operates with an 800-volt onboard electrical system. The EVA2M will also utilise new SiC power electronics and a new type of battery cell. The SiC power electronics alone should increase range by 5% due to lower heat losses.
The change to an 800-volt system means the current upper limit of 200 kW no longer applies. As the CCS charging standard is limited to a current of 500 amps, no more than 200 kW is possible at 400 volts. With batteries beyond 100 kWh in EQS models, this did not allow for particularly short charging times. However, it is still unknown how far charging capacity will increase or how much charging times will decrease.
It is also clear that the switch to 800 volts is not the end. A good charging curve with 400 volts can also enable acceptable charging times in practice, especially with the relatively long ranges of the aerodynamically optimized Mercedes sedans, where a break is usually necessary anyway. However, the fact that e-GMP-based Hyundai or Kia models, which are half as expensive, can arrive at the charging station later and still reach 80% charge earlier than the expensive Mercedes models is not always likely to please the luxury customers of the Stuttgart-based company.
Mercedes has already incorporated a number of improvements into the 400-volt version of the EVA2, including a heat pump, a 22 kW onboard charger and a decoupling unit for the front electric motor in all-wheel-drive variants. These changes should ensure a better customer experience through a longer practical range or shorter AC charging times. With the major upgrade to the EVA2M, a bigger change will be on the cards.
The question is what impact reports and speculation about such extensive changes will have on demand for Mercedes-Benz's top electric models. The EQS sedan has been on sale since August 2021. A facelift after around four years was expected, but not necessarily how extensive it would be.
