Mercedes EQA - an e-SUV with a star
The electric compact SUV EQA belongs to the "EQ" sub-brand, part of the parent brand Mercedes-Benz. We will be seeing models bearing the EQ badge more and more often on European roads, and my test of the EQC400 4MATIC can be found here
The EQA 250's electric powertrain is an integrated, compact module mounted at the front axle. During braking, the electric motors act as alternators and generate electricity (regeneration) to charge the 66 kWh battery. The battery consists of five modules and sits under the passenger compartment, in the middle of the car. The lower edges of the sill covers run slightly below the underside of the battery. The EQA's ground clearance is 20 cm. The battery has a "two-level" design. It is protected from potential external damage by an aluminium housing as well as by the body structure itself. The housing is part of the vehicle's structure and is therefore an integral load-bearing element in the event of a collision. A cooling plate under the battery, which can warm it up or cool it down, helps keep it in the optimum temperature range.
Interestingly, when you use the intelligent navigation, the battery is warmed up or cooled down while driving, so that it is in the ideal temperature window when "refuelling" at fast DC chargers. It is worth adding that the EQA can be charged at up to 100 kW, and more and more such chargers are appearing in Poland. If the battery had not been prepared for charging, it would not charge optimally. It is now standard for the battery and other components of the electrical system to be covered by an extended warranty. Mercedes is no exception: the German brand's warranty covers 8 years or 160,000 km.
In the future, Mercedes plans more powerful variants, which will be fitted with an additional electric drive unit at the rear axle. They will probably then get the "4matic" badge.
The on-board charger provides a convenient way of charging with alternating current (AC) at up to 11 kW - a good figure, as few electric cars offer more powerful chargers.
The EQA also has an advanced heat management system with a heat pump as standard. Pre-entry climate control can be activated before setting off - via the MBUX operating system or the "Mercedes me" app. It is best to use pre-entry climate control while charging, because the energy then comes from the charging current and does not affect the range.
In ECO mode, the system switches the auxiliary consumers to a slower response, reducing power consumption and increasing range. The basic driving modes are selected with a stalk on the steering column.
The Mercedes EQA has a drag coefficient (Cd) from 0.28, matching the good figure achieved by its "brother", the GLA. You might expect a slightly better result, as the front of the car has no radiator grille to disturb the airflow. On the other hand, the EQA has larger wheels, which may create slightly more aerodynamic drag.
Buyers of fully electric Mercedes-EQ models and Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrids can use the "Mercedes me Charge" service, which makes charging at public AC and DC stations much easier. As part of "Mercedes me Charge", the driver gets a card that gives access to more than 500 charging points in Poland and almost 200,000 across Europe.
The "Mercedes me Charge" service also includes an integrated payment function - at the end of each billing month, the owner receives a single consolidated invoice with a detailed list of the individual charging sessions. Charging stations can be searched for using the built-in navigation. The search function can provide station details (including charging power) and even information on whether a station is occupied and how much the electricity costs.
As part of a promotion, a one-year subscription to the Mercedes me Charge service is offered free of charge to EQA buyers (EQC and EQS owners get a 3-year subscription included in the price of the car)
The EQA's standard equipment includes LED headlights, an electrically operated tailgate, aluminium roof rails, 18-inch alloy wheels, upholstery partly made of ARTICO synthetic leather, a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, a rain sensor, active lane keeping assist, a collision avoidance system, automatic climate control, a reversing camera, comfort seats with adjustable lumbar support, intelligent navigation, ambient lighting in a choice of 64 colours and an 11 kW on-board AC charger.
We expect the tested version of the Mercedes EQA to be joined soon by others. These will be the EQA 300 4MATIC (228 hp, 390 Nm) and the EQA 350 4MATIC (292 hp, 520 Nm)
Technical data:
| EQA 250 | ||
| Drive | front-wheel drive | |
| Electric motor (front axle) | asynchronous | |
| Maximum power | kW | 140 |
| Torque | Nm | 375 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h | s | 8.9 |
| Top speed | km/h | 160 |
| Battery capacity, usable (NEDC) | kWh | 66.5 |
| Combined power consumption (NEDC) | kWh/100 km | 15.7 |
| Range (NEDC) | km | 486 |
| Combined power consumption (WLTP, provisional) | kWh/100 km | 17.7 |
| Range (WLTP, provisional) | km | 426 |
| Charging time from a wallbox/AC station (11 kW) | h | 5:45 |
| Charging time at a DC station (100 kW) | min | 30 |
