ONE of the most controversial car design choices of the EV era is set to come to an end in the imminently arriving 2027 model year.
However, the manufacturer behind the blob-shaped decision is making one last stand to justify and explain it.
With the reveal of the electric GLC in September, Mercedes-Benz is set to start killing off its EQ model line and begin giving its electric and gas-powered vehicles the same exterior aesthetics.
The company also explained its choice to design its initial EV offerings in such a distinct way.
“Early adopters wanted to be different. They wanted to show that they were driving an electric car,” Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer told WhichCar.
He also argued that a change in perception preference is exactly why the company is looking to use one shell for both fuel philosophies.
“Now we’re entering the mainstream and mass adoption, and customers don’t want to show that they’re driving an EV. They want the same shape, no matter the drivetrain,” Schäfer elaborated.
This implies that the infamous jellybean shape of the brand’s previous electric offerings will be put on the shelf.
Schäfer’s words also carry an air of confidence with them which suggests the luxury manufacturer has done significant research into this idea of evolved EV aesthetic preferences.
The heavily criticized design was made infamous by models such as the EQE and EQS, which traded the German luxury brand’s iconic sharp lines and angles for a smooth, tapered shell all around.
Based on Schäfer’s words and the GLC’s looks, it’s all but officially confirmed that the maligned makeover is being put to pasture.
While the luxury brand’s electric and gas-powered offerings will look the same up top, their platforms will be vastly different.
“Fitting both drivetrains to the same platform ultimately ends up with compromise and we don’t want to offer compromised cars,” Schäfer offered as a very Mercedes-Benz-esque explanation.
He emphasized the difficulties that would arise in trying to fit both longitudinally mounted eight- and six-cylinder engines and an EV’s massive battery packs in the same cookie-cutter platform.
Benz’s active development of the Small and Medium MB.EA EV platforms, which are expected to debut in the coming model year in the maker’s newly announced EVs, aligns with this philosophy.
In addition to the electric GLC model, Mercedes-Benz has also confirmed the eventual arrival of C-Class, E-Class, and S-Class EVs which are also expected to use the MB.EA EV architecture.
Electric vehicles vs gas
Pros and cons of EVs vs gasoline-powered vehicles
EV PROS:
- Convenient (when charging at home)
- Cheaper (depending on state or city)
- Cheaper maintenance, due to lack of mechanical parts
- Great for commuting
- Reduced CO2 emissions
- Federal and state tax incentives
- More performance (speed, handling – depending on the make and model)
EV CONS:
- Higher initial cost
- Higher insurance rates
- More frequent tire and brake replacement intervals
- Higher curb weight (thus causing more rapid wear on crucial parts)
- Low resale value
- High depreciation rates
- Lack of charging infrastructure
- Unreliable public charging (related: slow charging times)
- Poor winter and summer performance
- Lack of clean energy alternatives means more “dirty energy” from coal and nuclear sources
- Range anxiety
GAS PROS:
- Highly developed refueling infrastructure
- Fast refueling
- Cheaper insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration
- Established repair industry
- Lower initial cost
- Higher range before refueling, especially with hybrids
- Many manufacturers produce nearly emission-less engines
- Cheaper refueling, depending on the location
GAS CONS:
- Finite resource (related: heavy dependence on petroleum)
- Carbon emissions/greenhouse gases
- Higher repair costs
- Higher insurance rates, depending on make, model, and configuration
- Varying costs at the pump, depending on state, city, and county
Source: Car & Driver, Perch Energy, AutoWeek
While the new platform’s development and the GLC’s reveal already suggest as much, rumors have swirled since early 2023 that Benz was planning to drop the EQ name from its EVs.
The MB.EA EV architecture will be a marked upgrade from the EVA2 platform currently being used by the presumably outgoing EQ model line.
The most significant changes include an 800-volt architecture which will allow fast charging up to 320 kW, new battery technology which will improve range without increasing weight, and upgraded electric motors offering major increases in performance.
EVs EXITING THE MARKET?
Unfortunately for the automaker formerly known as Daimler, its change in approach to EVs may be too little, too late with some of the biggest adoption incentives having been discontinued.
Other automakers are seeing similar writings on the wall, with Honda’s CEO announcing in May that its EV plans are being reigned in due to slowing interest and demand in the United States.
Manufacturers which only offer EVs sadly don’t have that option, with Rivian’s $5 billion investment into a Georgia manufacturing plan highlighting that it’s do or die time for all-electric automakers.
